The Game of Secrets
by David Knight
Summary: Seven Rangers. Unfamiliar roles, unfamiliar situations, unknown rules, with no memory of who they really are... and absolutely no idea the danger they are in. (Chapter 2 Added)
1. An Unreal World

**_Disclaimer:_**_ The DC comic superheroes and all characters affiliated with them belong to DC of course. You are probably wondering what a story like this would be doing in a Power Rangers story archive. Well by the time you read though the end of this first story, I think you will see the connection this story has with Power Rangers, which happens to be owned by Disney. For now, I just ask that you just sit back, relax, and enjoy the story that I have written for you all. I hope you will enjoy it._

**An Unreal World  
By David Knight**

_Gotham City_

A city within the state of New York. A city that happens to be a very large one.

It is also a city that is has corruption and crime within it and being alone at night in Gotham City is not a good idea.

And not just for the innocent people of the city, but also for the criminals that eat, sleep, and live within Gotham City. 

Why is it not a good place for even criminals? Very simple. Gotham City has a protector, one who home is within the darkness of the night.

This very same protector was now swung out into the night from a rooftop of a building in the city. Doing his evening rounds of patrolling Gotham City. The criminal elements knew him while the rest of the world tried to deny his existence. The police did not like vigilantes at all.

The vigilante in question suddenly heard a scream from the streets. He swung down to the source he found a mugging already in progress. Swooping down, he nailed two of the muggers by surprise, knocking them out, then he went after the gunman, nailing him with a flying tackle, slamming the would-be killer into a wall, snarling, "You're trespassing scumbag!" 

"Trespassing! You damn sure don't own the night!" 

Growling, the man in black grabbed him by the throat and soon cast another rope to a very high precipice, holding the crook over the ledge. The gunman's tone changed, screaming, "Don't kill me man! Don't kill me man!" 

"I'm not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to tell all your friends about me." 

The mugger looked up and saw who was holding him by a thread. It was a man but it was certainly no ordinary man. He was dressed in an armored black bodysuit, had a set of black boots on his feet as well as a pair of black armored gloves. Around his waist was a yellow color belt, which was divided up by blocky square like sections. Over the chest of his suit there was a yellow oval shape and inside of that oval was a black bat shaped symbol. Lastly, he had a long black cape that billowed in the wind, adding more than enough fear to the mugger who was scared out of his mind as he finally screamed out, "What are you?!" 

The man in black's reply was simply two words, "I'm Batman."

Just then however there was a click of the gun as the Dark Knight heard someone behind him. "Wow! I get to kill off the freaking bat!" the other thug sneered.

"Guess again sleazebag," a decidedly female voice spoke. The thug turned around only to get a crossbow bolt hit his gun and go through it. The next second later, he was receiving a right cross from someone else.

When he looked up, his eyes were full of lust as he looked at the decidedly feminine figure in front of him. She was wearing a purple and black form fitting body suit (Which hugged all of her curves), a dark purple cape along with matching dark purple colored gloves and knee high boots. A purple and yellow colored weapons belt was around her waist. She had a dagger in side each of her boots and on her right glove there was a collapsible cross bow. Over her face was an elaborate purple domino mask. Dark blue eyes shone through the eyeholes and her hair was black as night and went down to her shoulders. Lastly, around her neck, she wore a golden cross.

"What are you?" he breathed.

"I'm the Huntress..." she said before knocking him out cold. "And you were my prey."

Batman turned toward this 'Huntress' as he let the thug he had down. He looked toward her before taking off to another rooftop with a grappling cable. 

He was expecting the Huntress to follow him.

"So, the famous Batman seems to be slipping?" Huntress questioned.

"There was no problem." Batman returned, "Even if he had gotten a shot off, it wouldn't have done him any good."

"Really?" Huntress said.

In response, Batman narrowed his eyes as the mysterious newcomer, "Who are you?" It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

"Huntress," the costumed woman answered.

"What are you doing in my city?" Batman wanted to know.

"Looking for a crime boss named Sal Garavachi," Huntress replied.

"Wanted by the FBI. Number 3 on their Top Ten Mafia Crime Boss List." Batman stated.

"I see you know about him," Huntress commented.

"I know many things you don't know." Batman returned, "But this is my city."

Huntress eyed Batman critically then, "And Garavachi is someone I intend to get. Don't get in my way."

Batman said nothing for a moment before getting right in front of her and looked her dead in the eyes, "This is my city. You cross the line or any of my rules, I'll come after you."

"And what rules are those?" Huntress asked.

"If you take a life, you will find yourself spending the rest of your life in Blackgate Prison. Remember that," Batman turned around and disappeared off another rooftop leaving Huntress alone to stare at him.

"Gee, that went well." Sighing, the Huntress pulled out her own grappling hook and swung her way off the rooftop and back to the ground in a back alley. The night was still young and she still had prey to hunt down.

* * *

_Metropolis_

A very different city from Gotham. It is even bigger for one thing. Crime is almost the same level though the police do take care of a part of it.

However Metropolis does have one thing in common with Gotham. It has its own protector. The only difference is that this one is not human. Rather, he's from another world and he's also be called by some as the world's biggest boy scout.

The person in question was currently flying over the city. He was wearing a blue skintight bodysuit with red shorts. He had a simple yellow belt around his waist and wore a pair of red boots. On his chest, there was a yellow diamond that was outlined with in red, the same red color used to show a stylized red 'S' inside that very diamond. He also wore a long red cape, which had the same yellow diamond on it. The being had a body with an incredible build while his face had a square jaw but a face of compassion. His hair was black and short and his eyes were brown. 

With his incredible sight, the flying man saw a bullet train going out of control and was threatening to fall over the tracks while still running at a faster speed than it should. He immediately flew faster and touched down on the tracks right in front of the train. He puts his feet down and his hands in front of the train, as if he was going to try to slow it down.

That was what he was doing actually. The driver of the train gasped in surprise and relief when he saw the man doing this, "Thank heavens! Superman!"

Superman was doing his all to stop the train from falling over, unfortunately there was a bit of a problem. As he had been slowing the front of the train down, the back half of it ended up going wild and off of the tracks. It threatened to take the rest of the train with it over the bridge and down to the streets below. 

Redoubling his efforts, the Man of Steel finally got the train to stop, however it was not in time as part of the back of the train broke off from the majority of it and fell over the bridge. 

__No!__ Superman thought as he flew down after the train car and went for it before it could fall. He dug his hands into the end of it and held it tight, trying to stop its momentum. Just when he thought he had it, fate acted cruel yet again.

One car broke off from the end and was falling. 

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" were the screams from the innocent people inside the falling car and with his super hearing he could hear everything from that car.. Superman knew there was nothing he could do. He couldn't be in to places at the same time and he couldn't get the falling car without the rest of the cars.

Fortunately Lady Luck was on the Man of Steel's side just then as suddenly he heard the sounds and screams stop and yet there was no explosion. Superman looked down and his eyes widened at what he saw. The last train car was being held up in the air... by a woman. 

However he knew this was no ordinary woman. She wore a red strapless and sleeveless bodice with a double 'W' emblem over the chest, stylized in a way to make look like it was an eagle in flight. She also wore blue satin mini-shorts with white stars all over it. She had a pair of deep red colored boots with white trim. Around her waist she wore a golden belt. By her right hip, she had a golden lasso attached to her belt, ready to be used at a moment's notice. She wore a pair of silver bracelets on her wrists. Her physique was most certainly feminine but also muscular, and her hair was raven black and went down little past her shoulders. She wore a golden tiara on her head with a red star in the center, the same shape and color of the pair of red star shaped earrings that she wore. Finally, she her eyes were like a pair of sapphires. 

In short she have been thought to be a living goddess and no one would argue otherwise.

The mysterious woman started floating back down to the ground into the streets, where people were stopping their cars and moving out of the way. Superman decided to do the same, as he knew he couldn't stay forever in the air with the train cars he was holding and it was best to get the civilians to the ground rather than place the train cars back on the tracks.

When he landed and placed the train cars down, Superman looked over at the woman and motioned upwards. As people started to clamor around her and stare at her, she decided to follow suit and fly up into the sky to follow him, especially after seeing how some men seemed to be drooling just by looking at her in places that she did not wish to be stared at.

The two beings flew up onto a rooftop where they looked at each other. "You aren't like the other males of Man's World are you?"

"Man's World?" Superman asked.

"It is what my Amazonian Sisters and I call the outside world," the woman answered the Man of Steel, "We live in a place separate of this and there are no men where I come from."

"I see..." __Very strange though interesting.__ Superman mused.

"What name do you go by warrior?" the woman asked.

"I am called Superman," the Man of Steel replied, "Might I know what to call you by?"

"I am Diana, Princess of Themyscira. But here in Man's World, I have another name. Wonder Woman."

__ 'Wonder Woman'? I can only imagine what the tabloids will say when this comes out?__ he mused as he looked back toward the Amazonian Princess, "Diana. I would like to thank you for what you did. I wouldn't have been able to save those people without your help," he held his hand out toward her.

"Life is life to me. Whether it be woman or man, the innocent need not die needlessly." Wonder Woman said as she took Superman's hand and shook it. "I was glad to help. But now I have to go."

"Where are you going?" Superman asked her as she started to walk away. She replied, "To find out where I might fit in here in Man's World. Until our paths cross again Superman." With that, Wonder Woman took off into the sky before vanishing from Superman's sight.

"Until we meet again Wonder Woman." Superman said softly as he took off into the sky and went to go help the people of Metropolis. The day was still young and much would be happening.

* * *

_Central City_

Another city in the United States of America. Another big city with a problem with crime.

It is also another city with a very steady protector of its own...though not exactly the most mature of crime fighters.

Right now though there was a giant storm cloud right over the first national bank. A man in a green suit with an ugly black visor over his eyes and a silver rod with a round ball head piece was not happy as he was trying to blast at a red blur. "Stand still you annoyance!"

"Okay." The blur spoke before it stopped running. Where the blur had been there was a man in a crimson red body suit that covered his entire body, save for an opening to show the lower half of his face. On his chest was a white circle with a yellow lightning bolt there. He wore yellow gloves and boots and on his masked head, he had a pair of gold shaped small wings on both sides of his head. 

"Die!" the man in green yelled as he fired of a lightning bolt at the man in red who disappeared. "Huh? Where did he go?"

"Oh please you are killing me here Wizard," the man in red laughed, leaning up against a light pole on the other side of the road, "Don't tell me that's all you got!" 

The Weather Wizard was not happy at all as he fired of another blast, and then just blast after blast. "You can't keep avoiding my lightning forever Flash!"

"Yeah well I am the Speedster and you are just a big snail," the Flash smirked as he kept on running faster than anyone's eyes could see, avoiding everyone of the Weather Wizard's lighting bolts.

"Really..." The Wizard sneered as he looked back into the bank and saw several innocent people still inside. "Well let's see how well you do when you aren't the target."

"What..." The Flash stopped running as he saw what the Wizard planned to do, however the Wizard took use of the Flash's sudden stop to nail him with a lightning bolt in the chest, sending him into a building. "Ouch..."

The Wizard smiled at that but figured it might be better to run with his stolen loot, but he looked back to the people in the bank. "Well I think a little mayhem before I go should keep the Flash occupied and out of my hair."

"Too bad you don't have just one person to worry about." A sultry female voice spoke from behind him.

"What the..." the Wizard blinked before he got hit hard with a low blow. He felt his world shaking as a right cross and then a kick hit him in his chest. He looked up and saw who was attacking him and felt an emotion that could only be described as lust.

There was a woman with long blonde wavy hair that went down to the middle of her back and looked almost like it was alive. She was absolutely gorgeous and her shimmering blue eyes helped to back that fact up, even if they were hidden behind a black domino eye mask. As for her outfit, she wore a black strapless sleeveless leotard, a pair of blue fishnet stockings along with a set of black colored ladies' pirate boots. Around her neck was a blue-black colored choker. Lastly, she wore a black-colored satin ladies' dinner jacket, which was stylishly cut. 

The look on her face though was not a pleasant one though the Weather Wizard didn't really care at the moment. "And who are you honey?"

**_"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"_** the woman screamed but it was more than just a normal scream. It was a scream with power behind it.

Power that sent the Weather Wizard flying into a building... hard. The scream continued and he made a very deep impression into the building until he was out like a light. The woman than closed her mouth and the banshee like cry ended.

"And there goes another scumbag." The woman said with a very proud and satisfied look on her face.

"Nice moves sweetness." She turned around to see the Flash right behind her, a smug grin on his face, "I could have handled Wiz on my own but thanks for the help. So what's your name and are you doing anything tonight?" he asked holding his hand out.

The woman just smiled as she took his hand, shook it, and then threw him over her shoulder where the Flash landed into a nearby fountain. The result was him getting totally soaked with the woman smiling as she stood over him. She finally spoke to him though, "The name's Black Canary... and no. I am not free tonight. I have plans."

"A girl with spunk, humor and is a crime fighter," the Flash quipped as he got out of the fountain, "Such hard qualities to find in a prospective girl."

"I was just passing through boyo," Black Canary replied, "Looked like you needed help and with your grandstanding you definitely needed it."

"Grandstanding?" Flash shook his head.

"Yes. You could have taken out that Wizard any time you wanted but wanted to drag it out. You almost got people hurt," Black Canary snapped at Flash who looked away. 

__Damn it... Blondie does have a point there... what was I thinking...__ the Flash shook his head as he decided to look at Black Canary, "Yeah... you are right..."

"I wasn't trying to be a know-it-all. Just stating the truth. It's how I act," Black Canary replied.

"Well at least you are honest," Flash muttered, "Hey what was that you used on Wizard?"

"Some what of a curse that I try to make into a blessing," Black Canary explained though at Flash's stare she sighed, "Long story. Don't want to go into it. Basically I call it the Canary Cry."

"Nice. You trademarked your moves," Flash commented. He noticed Canary cracking a smile at that.

"You are an okay guy Flash," Black Canary said.

"So does that mean you have an opening tonight?" Flash asked.

"No. I really don't. I have a prior engagement," Black Canary replied as she looked at her watch and let out a sigh, "One I am going to be late for if I don't hurry. Take care Speedster." With that, she jumped on to a custom made Harley Davidson and made tracks out of the area on it.

"Well that's a nice bike," the Flash said but then smirked, "However I'm still faster than anything," he took off at one of his best speeds, wondering what else he could do to help out the city before it was time to call it a day.

* * *

_Century City_

This major metropolitan city was located on the west coast of the United States. It also has a protector of sorts. Or rather there have been several men to protect this city and yet they all have worn the same mantle, the same identity that signifies who they have been.

At the moment though, a large meteorite was on a collision course with the city and was coming straight from outer space. Nothing was going to be able to stop it. Conventional missiles wouldn't do a thing and nuclear missiles couldn't be launched quick enough. They would only hit the meteor after it had entered the earth's atmosphere and if they were to explode there then there would nuclear fallout. An evacuation had already been ordered for the city but still many innocent people would have died needlessly.

Would have died if not for its protector.

Streaking into out space was a green brilliance of light that stopped when it was only a couple hundred miles away from the asteroid though it would only be a few minutes before it cleared that distance.

What that streak was in, in truth, was an African American man with a black flattop hairstyle and green eyes that shone through a green eye mask. He wore a green and black body suit with a green lantern shape in the middle of a white circle on his chest. He also had on emerald green gloves and boots. Finally, there was a green lantern shaped ring was on his right hand.

"In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night, No Evil Shall Escape My Sight! Let Those Who Worship Evil's Might, Beware My Power, Green Lantern's Light!" he declared as he held his ring out and fired off a blast from the ring, which blasted right through the meteorite and split into to. He was not done yet though as he used his ring to create to giant green energy hands, which moved the meteorites out of the way of the earth's orbit, thus altering their trajectory.

Green Lantern smiled glad to have done his part to take care of this problem for the people that he was sworn to protect. 

And yet there was something that kept nagging at him. About how he acted, how he felt. __I don't understand it myself. I feel like, there's something totally off with me. That I am acting in ways that wouldn't normally act. It's strange.__ he shook his head, __Then again, after what Sinestro did to me...__ He put his hand to his face, thinking about touching it but decided not to. Just by touching it he'd remember what had happened.

__Ah you are mind's just playing tricks on you Johnny boy.__ he shrugged letting it pass, __It's getting late. I better get back and check in with the Guardians. I'm not just restricted to earth.__ With that, John Stewart, the Green Lantern of Earth and a member of the Green Lantern Corps took off back to report in with the Guardians.

And yet there was part of him in the back of his mind that wouldn't let him ever forget the feeling that something was wrong in the world. In the universe.

And with him.

* * *

_Weeks later..._

It came without warning. Without prior knowledge. There was no time to prepare at all. 

It just happened.

A massive force of unknown, unidentified alien beings started near the earth, their advanced parties already landing on the earth and beginning to make attacks. The normal defenses of the planet were no match for these alien beings superior technology. 

After nearly a week of attacks by these hostile extra terrestrials, despite what the world's governments were telling its citizen's, they know that it would take something more than human to stop them.

And more than one.

* * *

Gotham City had seen its fair share of destruction over the years. The Joker, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc had been among those that left behind the most damage to the city, leaving it up to the city council to do something with their budget to fix the damages.

They were going to have to figure something out about what to do with these alien invaders, if they survived that is.

The invaders were dressed in black entirely, featureless with blank helmets but spoke in a tongue that was incompressible. They seemed to understand English but they had no wish to make peace, they only seemed interested in killing people.

The GCPD was trying to hold them off but when you fight armed aliened with just guns that shoot metal bullets while your enemies are holding ray-guns, it doesn't do much good for you.

"There has got to be away to stop these monsters!" an officer cried out to Commissioner Gordon.

"Don't back down men! We have to hold them back from the city at all costs!" the Commissioner shouted. Just then the officer he was speaking to was disintegrated by a blast from one of the aliens and saw that he was now being targeted. He thought it was the end for him when he saw a weapon pierce right through the helmet and take the alien being out. Seeing the black imbedded instrument in the alien's helmet, Gordon automatically assumed the identity of his savior, "Can I ask where you have been? That was a little close."

"Sorry but there was a family of four trapped in a burning apartment complex I had to help first," a female voice answered him. Gordon turned around to find the Huntress right behind him but not for long as she leapt down, picked up the alien's disintegration weapon and fired it at the downed alien before he could get up, killing him instantly. 

"You just killed him!" Gordon snapped.

Huntress shook her head at the Commissioner, "One, they kill our own people. Two, we can't understand them, yet they seem to understand us and still want to kill us. Three, it's either them or us." She fired of another round at an alien after stunning him with a shuriken of hers, which made the alien drop his disintegration gun. She tossed the disintegration gun to Gordon and said, "You decide." And with that she went into the thick of the fight taking on the aliens herself, picking up the alien weapon that had been dropped by her last target.

Gordon shook his head, but as he saw the battle realized that the female vigilante was right in this case. __It would be better for my conscience if they were just robots. Why can't they just make their forces be just a bunch of faceless metal robots?__ he asked himself as he fired into the crowd taking out one of the alien invaders.

Though the Huntress's arrival had brought a reprieve, the aliens were relentless in their assault. Almost for everyone killed, one or even two more took its place. Things were becoming very hard as the Huntress knew that they could not hold out forever. She knew she was just getting lucky at this point and if she didn't so something soon she was going to get...

"Hjtu btugh krgg!"

Huntress knew there was one of the nasty little buggers right behind her and she knew she didn't have enough time to get around to stop it. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about it as she saw it being taken care of and thrown out on the ground by someone she didn't expect to watch her back, "Batman?"

"Talk later. The people need to be protected now." He ordered as he went into the fray. The arrival of the Dark Knight had now rejuvenated the humans fighting against the alien invaders and more of the aliens' disintegration weapons were being lost before they were disintegrated. After some more moments of fighting, the humans now had the advantage but then suddenly the Aliens dropped their weapons. The humans though they were surrendering but instead the aliens put their hands over their chest and disintegrated before their very eyes.

"Holy Mother Mary," Gordon gasped, "What did they just do to themselves?"

"My guess, their version of cyanide pills. Rather than be captured, they kill themselves before that happens," Batman reasoned.

"I'm glad you were here to help old friend," Gordon said with gratitude.

"Same thing. You can clean up with out me?"

"Of course," Gordon nodded as he went to his men to get them to start sealing up the area. 

Batman walked over to Huntress, "You okay?"

"Just what the hell are these things?" Huntress asked, "They attack almost randomly and they've hit some big cities but they've also hit places out in the middle of no where as far as what I have heard is correct."

"This isn't even the worst of it," Batman replied, "Preliminary data indicates this is just the advanced party."

"You mean there is going to be more of these things?!" Huntress gasped.

"Many more. They need to be stopped before they get within our planetary orbit." Batman stated.

Huntress put her hands on her hips as she stared at the Dark Knight, "That's very easy to say you know but doing it is totally different story. There is no way you could take out an entire army of these guys alone."

"No I couldn't," The admitting from Batman made Huntress's eyes go wide, but Batman continued to speak nonetheless, "There's someone else I need to see about this plan... other than you."

"Other than me?" Huntress asked him with wide eyes, "Are you actually asking for my help?"

"You've obeyed my rules since you have been in Gotham... though you have used more force to subdue your opponents than necessary," Batman replied, "And don't say anything about you being a woman and needing to use more force to subdue men."

"Actually I was going to say that they had it coming," Huntress said flat out, "I don't pull punches in a fight."

"Neither do I." Batman returned as he started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Huntress asked.

"If you want to be a part of this, then follow me." Batman said without stopping.

"Cryptic guy," Huntress muttered as she decided to run after him before losing him. She followed him all the way to a building about a block a way and had to climb up a ladder on the side in order to get the roof. Once there, she saw floating in the air was a large black metal aircraft shaped like a bat. Batman was climbing up a ladder attached to it. Once inside the Batjet, he called out to Huntress, "Climb up and get in."

"Unreal..." Huntress said in awe as she got into the Batjet's passenger side and strapped herself in. Batman had already done so and was now taking the Batjet up into the air. Huntress then asked, "So where are we heading?"

"Metropolis."

* * *

In Metropolis at present, Superman had to deal with the worst of the alien invasion. The alien ships from the advanced scout team were coming down trying to turn Metropolis into a base of operations for themselves.

The Man of Steel wouldn't allow it but the odds were definitely against him. The aliens didn't come on in ground assault troops. They came in using arrow shaped fighter crafts that normal weaponry wasn't being able to penetrate. 

His fists and eye beams were doing damage to them. Unfortunately, the laser blasts that the alien fighter crafts sent out at him, they were hurting him a bit. He didn't know how long he could stand up to constant fire at him by so many ships. There seemed to be no end of them and for everyone that he took out, another would just come out from the main ship that was slowly but surly coming down to Metropolis. He had to get there but these fighters were keeping him from getting anywhere near it.

Suddenly, he felt being blasted from behind and staggered back a bit. He turned around and saw an alien fighter coming right at him still firing. __This isn't good. I think I really could use some help right about now.__

As if on cue, Superman saw the alien fighter explode right before his very eyes. His eyes were almost bulging out of his sockets as he looked down at the falling and destroyed alien fighter craft. He noticed that there was a girder sticking out of the wreckage. He realized someone had to have thrown it through the fighter to do that and with a lot of strength no less. Looking to his left, he saw on a construction site a familiar and very welcomed acquaintance, "Diana!"

Wonder Woman smiled at Superman as she replied, "I saw how bad things were getting here in Metropolis and..." she threw another girder at another fighter, making it explode in the air, "I thought you might need some help!"

"I appreciate it." Superman nodded. With Wonder Woman helping him now, Superman felt some of the weight lifted off his shoulders as he went back into the fight. He took down another alien fighter while Wonder Woman was throwing girders at the alien space fighters as if they were javelins. After ten throws though the aliens went after her. Instinctively, Wonder Woman raised her bracelets up to shield her from the laser blasts and was surprised to learn, as were the aliens shocked to learn, that her bracelets reflected their blasts right back at them. When they hit, the fighters exploded.

Wonder Woman stared in surprised for a moment before smiling, "It appears my bracelets have an offensive use for this particular battle." With that she took the sky and joined Superman in confronting the fighters together. Working together they made their way over to the main ship in the assault.

"Once we get through this ship, we should be able to stop the attack on the city." Superman said to Wonder Woman.

"I understand. We should... Great Hera!" Wonder Woman gasped as she looked to her left.

"Diana what is it?" Superman asked.

"What kind of hellspawn of Hades is that?!" Wonder Woman cried as she pointed to a strange giant black shape coming into the sky.

Superman saw it and knew what it was at once, "That's no hellspawn. That's an old friend in his plane. But what is he..." he froze in shock once he realized what he had planned, "Diana move now!" he told her and the Amazonian Princess didn't question him, she just followed him.

* * *

Inside the Batjet, Huntress just stared in awe at the massive ship. "Good God... and this is just an advanced party ship! I would hate to see the Mothership!"

"Which is why we have to stop them before they get to earth," Batman said.  
  
"And how do you plan to stop this one?" Huntress asked.

"You see the open hanger bay from that ship."

"Yeah so...whoa!!!" She cried as she saw him take the jet into a dive. "What are you doing?!"

"Crashing the plane inside."

"You're what!!!" Huntress exclaimed.

"5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Now." Batman said as he pulled a lever and then both he and Huntress were ejected from the plane.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Huntress screamed as she and Batman were thrown up into the sky, while she looked at the Batjet enter into the hanger of the ship and then once it hit the other fighters, explosions started to happen until finally the ship itself exploded.

Along with the alien ship.

As her parachute was activated along with Batman's, Huntress could only stare in disbelief as she saw the alien ship falling now into the Metropolis Bay, safe from harming any civilians. "What the hell was that?"

"I loaded the Batjet with explosives before we left Gotham. I was on my way to Metropolis when I found out the aliens had made it into the city." Batman said calmly to Huntress as they were falling slowly through the air.

"And you just neglected to tell me this before I boarded your jet?!" Huntress snapped.

"Would you have come otherwise if you knew you were on a plane with a few hundred pounds of compact explosives?" Batman questioned.

Huntress just shook her head as she looked at him, "I really hope you have insurance for that thing."

"You have no idea," Batman smirked slightly. Suddenly he saw an old friend of his own coming toward them along with someone he hadn't seen before, "A new lady in your life old friend?"

"Funny, I could ask the same thing about you," Superman replied as he took hold of Batman and started to move over to a building while he saw Wonder Woman going to Huntress and helping by grabbing her arms.

"Easy sister. I have you," Wonder Woman replied.

"One I am not your sister," Huntress said but her eyes narrowed when getting a good look at the Amazon Princess, "And two what is with the stripper girl outfit?"

"'Stripper girl outfit'?!" Wonder Woman shouted in outrage, "This is a traditional and ceremonial Amazonian Battle Garb, blessed by Athena, Aphrodite and Artemis, the Goddesses of Wisdom, Love and the Hunt."

"Any way you say it, you are wearing less than what most hookers I have seen in Crime Alley wear," Huntress said.

"Oh really?" Wonder Woman returned, "And what of your outfit girl? Mine is not tight at all while as yours seems to be very tight and making your feminine attributes look much more enhanced."

"Are you calling me a slut?!" Huntress snapped.

Above them, Batman and Superman had stopped and looked down upon them, "This is pathetic." Batman muttered.

"Women. The age old mystery that no man will ever understand." Superman sighed. He then called out, "Wonder Woman. We don't have time to argue. Follow me."  
  
Wonder Woman nodded but looked back at Huntress, "We will continue this discussion later."

"I look forward to it," Huntress returned. They soon all landed onto a building where Batman and Huntress got out of the super humans that were holding them. "So, you going to explain this great plan you had in mind Batman?"

"It figures you would have already come up with something," Superman smirked.

"It's very simple. These aliens are doing well enough so far and this is just the advanced party according to my data." Batman said.

"Advanced party?" Superman stared.

"Great Hera! You mean there are more of these monsters coming!" Wonder Woman gasped.

"Yes. The only way to truly stop them is to take out the aliens before they get to the earth." Batman explained. "And to do that we need to get into outer space and take out their mother ship."

"And I suppose you already have a space ship to get us there?" Huntress asked flippantly.

"Yes." Batman said at once taking Huntress by surprise.

"Where do you get the money for all of this?" Huntress asked Batman honestly, "Seriously. It costs me quite a bit at the end of the month to keep myself going."

"I am well-funded," Batman said simply.

"Okay. Fine. Keep being cryptic guy," Huntress sighed but looked over at everyone, "But like I said before, I think we might need a bit more than just the four of us to pull something like what you are prosing off." 

"The woman does have a point," Wonder Woman agreed, "The four of us were barely able to stop this threat to the city."

"Don't worry Diana," Superman said with a smile, "I have a few friends in mind." He turned to Batman, "You have a place already set up."

"I do. Meet me at the Wayne Airstrip within twenty-four hours. That's the deadline for getting anyone to help us." Batman said as he walked away and then jumped off the building but to Wonder Woman and Huntress's surprise, he ended up flying forward with a jet pack of sort.

"By Hermes's flying sandals, what manner of flight is that?" Wonder Woman stared, "Its unearthly!"

"Where does he get the money for all of these expensive toys of his?!" Huntress gasped.

Superman had a smile hidden as he looked on, __You always like to make an exit like that Bruce.__

* * *

Within the next few hours, Superman and Wonder Woman arrived with Superman holding on to Huntress, who had been fuming over Batman's toys but had no complaint to being personally carry flown to the airstrip by the Man of Steel. 

"Thanks for the ride," Huntress said with a smile once Superman and landed. She got out of his arms and by the time her feet had touched the ground, so had Wonder Woman's.

"This place looks deserted." Wonder Woman observed, "And what about your friends Superman? Will they be here?"

"I placed my calls. If they received them, they should be here shortly." Superman replied. "Come on. Batman is probably waiting for us in the hanger." The two femmes followed him into a hanger.

Inside was a large white space craft, looking very much like the _Freedom_ from the movie Armageddon and Batman was right beside it.

"Great Hera..." Wonder Woman gasped, absolutely astonished, "The size of this metal construct is enormous!"

"I will say this for the umpteenth time... where the hell do you get the money for all of these insanely expensive toys?!" Huntress shouted with her jaw hanging.

"I am well funded." Batman said with a smirk.

"You love doing that line don't you," Superman chuckled.

"I give you the _Liberty._ It's been finished for nearly two months but hasn't been used at all yet. She's been sitting here, waiting for her time to shine... this will be that time." Batman said.

"Well I'll say I think this thing will get us there," Huntress stated, "But where are those others you keep mentioning about Superman?"

 "Well I was wondering when we were going to meet again Superman. Did you want another race or is this about the big alien ... whoa!" a voice spoke out. "Two very nice looking ladies," Huntress and Wonder Woman didn't have to wait long to find out what it was as the Flash suddenly was behind them both, "Hi there. I'm the Flash. Fastest man alive. And you two lovely vixens are?"

"Someone who is going to hurt you if you don't get your hand off my shoulder within the next five seconds," Huntress replied.

"You really would fit in with the very aggressive type of my sisters on Themyscira." Wonder Woman sighed.

"Don't mind Flash. He's always trying to hit up on a beautiful woman. Kind of like he tried with me." Another voice, this time female spoke. One that Huntress recognized, "Canary?"

"Huntress. This is a surprise but a pleasure to see you again," Black Canary smiled as she came into the light. She shook hands with Huntress, "Didn't expect you to know Superman."

"I don't. Batman brought me into this," Huntress said.

"That's right. I heard you were operating in Gotham recently," Black Canary mused.

"Is there anyone else left unaccounted for?" another voice asked.

"No there isn't John," Superman said the final person that came into the room, "Everyone this is John Stewart, the Green Lantern assigned to Earth."

"So what's this all about?" Green Lantern asked. It was then that Superman and Batman explained to him, Black Canary and Flash the graveness of the situation. Their faces paled when the two senior superheroes finished talking.

"Whoa..." Flash muttered.

"This is so terribly frightening," Black Canary whispered.

"People, this is going be a very dangerous mission," Superman addressed Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Huntress, Flash and Black Canary as he didn't need to say this to Batman because he knew he was going to go no matter what. It was after all his space shuttle. "But I can't force you to go. This is a decision you have to make on your own. If you don't want go with us I will understand."

Wonder Woman was the first to walk toward the Man of Steel, "I don't know much about... spaceships," she admitted truthfully, "Or about outer space or these alien creatures. But I KNOW the earth is danger. Both Man's World and my home of Themyscira, and I will go where I must to protect them both and the innocent people that live in both worlds."

"Same goes for me," Green Lantern replied.

"Count me in," Huntress said firmly, "Well show these aliens what it means to take on the human race."

"I admit I am afraid of what might happen a little but I don't think there isn't one among us that isn't just a little scared," Black Canary spoke with emotion, "I'm with you all."

"It's not even a question," Flash smirked, "You think I'm going to miss out on this party. Like raven hair said, these alien creeps won't even know what hit them when we get through with them!"

"Then it's settled." Batman commented from behind Superman and nodded softly.

Superman felt very proud of all of their decisions and nodded to them, "Let's do this then. Let's end this threat once and for all." He proclaimed.

All seven of them came together and walked down shoulder to shoulder toward the _Liberty_. The line up from left to right was the Flash, Black Canary, Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Huntress and Green Lantern. All of them boarded the Liberty and after strapping themselves in, Batman had the hanger roof open and hit the ignition.

The _Liberty_ took to the skies, with its mission to take place in outer space.

* * *

In deep space, with in the ship that looked exactly like the alien mother ship of Independence Day, the alien invaders looked at the Earth from one of their view monitor. Their bodies were like lizards, green skinned, wore only the barest of clothes for themselves while looking down below to see their mechanical soldiers below.

How goes the invasion? one of them said.

Not well Brak. another said.

Frell!!! Brak roared as he slammed his fists down on the table. Zorac! How in the Hezmana can we be having such a yotz of an arn with such frelling drannits!

There are some ... interesting ones among them. Ones with powers. Brak explained.

And there's this hot little hootiegruiba wearing almost nothing that I have seen take out several fighters so frelling easily from video recording, a third lizard said, She had great big eyes and lovely black hair and as I watched it over and over again, I realized that she possesses these great enormous pair of loomas. I never seen any woman quite like her in all of my days of conquest. She was so scrumptious that I could just...

ENOUGH!!!! Brak roared, thoroughly disgusted with the sleaziness of his other partner, at least Zorac could keep his mind on the job, I care less about any tralk that you have eyes for at the moment Moltar! I just want all of the humans dead! We are here to take that world and steal all of its resources of ourselves! Now let's get this over and done with! 

"Grbrbav roinbuv," A droid spoke out.

What is it?! Brak asked. What the yotz is that infernal bucket of bolts saying!

He is saying that we have several survivors from the advance scout team returning. They want to also show us the samples of the world that they we intend to take. Zorac said.

I wonder if they brought females with them. Moltar mused.

Oh go frell yourself on some tralk from our own species. Brak growled, Why you want to sample every frelling tralk in the galaxy is mystery to me. Zorac, get the survivors in.

At once Brak.

* * *

As the fighters and cruisers were entering into the mother ship, they had no idea that they were getting seven uninvited guests. Ones that were discussing within their ship their next move while the Green Lantern was keeping them from being detected.

"So far John's keeping us cloaked from their sensors with his ring," Superman said.

"That's obvious enough. If they could have sensed us already we would have been attacked, possibly even destroyed," Batman stated.

"Gee, you are just the picture of optimism aren't you bats?" Flash remarked.

"I'm a realist. Always." Batman returned.

"Okay. So even if we get in, what then? We just run, attack several people and just try to figure out where to get them to say, 'Oh can take you all down so very easily so just surrender before you die?'" Flash asked.

"Not even close," Batman stated, "We aren't even going to give them that option."

"Then what are we giving them?" Black Canary asked.

"The nuclear warhead in the back of this shuttle."

"The WHAT?!" everyone save for Wonder Woman yelled at Batman.

"You have a nuclear weapon on this ship with us and you didn't bother to tell me!" Superman cried.

"I knew you would react like you are right now." Batman said casually.

"Okay, first, how did you manage to get a nuke to begin with and second... _how in the flipping hell did you manage to get a nuke to begin with?!"_ Huntress roared. 

"Aren't you going to ask me how much it cost?" Batman asked.

"You think give a care about money when you have a nuke on the same ship as the rest of us!" Huntress snapped, "What is the matter with you?!"

Batman ignored them all and looked back at Wonder Woman, "Don't you have something to say to me just like the rest of them?"

"What's a nuclear weapon?" Wonder Woman asked. When she said that, she brought a collective face fault to everyone inside the shuttle, even Batman. "What?" 

"Nevermind... can we just go to what the plan you have with the nuke is Bats?" Flash asked.

"Find the center of the ship, set a timer for detonation and then we get out of her before the bomb goes off." Batman explained. 

"Sounds simple enough," Wonder Woman mused.

"Oh believe me," Black Canary shook her head, "That is anything BUT simple."

Soon enough they finally made their way into the ship where they saw horde and hordes of drones and ships. "Great Hera! Look at them all! Swarms and swarms of demons! There must be thousands of them!"

"More like millions of them," Batman corrected.

"An invasion force," Superman said grimly.

"There's no way the earth would be able to handle fighting all of this," Huntress muttered.

"We have to stop them. For the planet we must stop them," Wonder Woman breathed and everyone agreed with her.

"Get ready. I am going to put her down." Batman announced.

Unfortunately, by putting the ship down, it did something the humans did not want to have happen.

* * *

**_*WHOOOOO!* *WHOOOOO!* *WHOOOOO!*_**

Now what the yotz is going on?! Brak roared as he heard the sound in his command chamber.

"Kwicnaghn yahnbg!  Kwicnaghn yahnbg! Kwicnaghn yahnbg!" one of the mech droids came running into the room.

Zorac! Translate! Brak roared.

Um lets see here. Zorac tried to get to the droid to talk to it correctly but it was an outdated model and was not working properly for him. "Kwicnaghn yahnbg! Kwicnaghn yahnbg! Kwicnaghn yahnbg! Kwicnaghn yahn--"

**_*ZAP!*_**

The robot exploded from a blast by Brak's gun. Ah the trandarth of blowing dannits to bits the old fashioned way. Splendid... Zorac! Tell me what he said from what you heard!

Well as far as I could tell. I think we have intruders on board. Zorac replied.

Don't be ridiculous! We couldn't possibly have intruders here! My ship is impenetrable!

**_*WHOOOOO!* *WHOOOOO!* *WHOOOOO!*_**

**_*ZAP!*_**

The alarm died when Brak blasted it with his gun. I frelling hate that sound! Now get back to work!

* * *

In the hanger bay, Green Lantern was starting to feel weak from the cloaking, however he had gotten a clue from seeing the flags posted up from the ceiling. On the ground the heroes got out of the shuttle with Batman coming out of the back end, on a platform that had a small jet propelled glider with the nuclear warhead attached to the bottom.

"You think of getting just about anything and everything Batman... and now I don't want to even know how you do it," Huntress shook her head as she saw what he was intending to do.

"You are serious about riding that thing, with the nuke on it?" Superman asked.

"The nuke won't go off on impact. Only by detonation. That will give me time to get back here." Batman said.  
  
"Assuming that it isn't that far away," Flash stated.

"If anything it will be up the second floor near that control room." Green Lantern said.

"How would you know?" Black Canary asked.

"See the flags with the black x over a white circle," Green Lantern pointed up to those flags, "Those are the symbols of Brak, one of the worst banes in the galaxy."

"Because he's an evil demon?" Wonder Woman asked.

"No," Green Lantern shook his head, "It's because he's an insane megalomaniac who believes himself to be the salvation of his people. Except most of Brak's race are actually very pleasant creatures. Brak wanted conquest and when his people banished him from his home world..."

"Let me guess. It made him loopier than Charles Manson huh?" Flash asked and when Green Lantern nodded he put his right hand over his face and groaned, "Perfect."

"Either way at least we have an idea to try," Superman said.

"Well here's the idea that we are going to do. You all protect the ship because its our only way out of here." Batman stated.

"And what do you plan to do?" Huntress asked as she saw him throw a ball out into the center of the room where there were ships. "Oh no..."

"Actually he's got the right idea... I wasn't going to be able to keep cloaking the ship much longer if I was going to help defend it." Green Lantern spoke.

"All right people get ready because like or not its time," Superman said to everyone, as they watched the ball go to the fighters and landed to the ground.

Nothing happened for only two seconds... it was the third that all hell broke loose.

* * *

**_*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*_**

Now what?! Brak yelled.

AH!!! It's her! Moltar jumped with joy.

What are you talking about? Brak demanded to know.

Brak... get over here... Zorac said shakily.

Hmm... Brak asked as he saw the monitors in the hanger bay, What the frell is this?!

It's her! The hootiegruiba from that planet we're going to take over and... YOSH!!! Moltar let his jaw drop as he saw her on screen along with Black Canary and Huntress, And her sisters are really good looking too!

ARRGGG!!! Brak roared as he grabbed Moltar and threw him across the room. I will not be insulted by three tralks... especially the so scantily clad one!!!

Well at least there are some males with them. Zorac said pointing with his claw to Superman, Flash and Green Lantern.

A Green Lantern! I though Aben Sur was dead and they hadn't found a replacement yet for him! Brak spat. Sound the alarm!

But you blew it up Brak. Moltar reminded him.

Oh yes... frell... well then I just have to do it the old fashioned way. Brak said as he went to the intercom system. Now hear this!

* * *

"GRJBEYBB PLGBMEU RUUULNB! JHK LM PP YTHNBM BEE GKMNNBB OOO NEME! KUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!" was what the seven heroes heard coming all around them. It sounded totally alien and was coming from speakers above their heads.

"What was that?" Flash asked. Right after he had said that, robot warriors started to open fire upon them all. 

"I think we have been found out!" Huntress cried as she fired off a crossbow bolt at one of the robots to take it out. She felt Wonder Woman at her back. "Getting a bit cozy isn't it?" she quipped but then saw that there would have been a robot to blast her with a ray gun. A shot that would have killed her, had the Amazon Princess not been there to reflect it with her bracelets.

"Watch your back always youngling," Wonder Woman turned her head to Huntress to say that. One that would have cost her a body part by an energy sword-wielding alien had the Huntress not shot a bolt right through its chest. 

"Same goes to you lady," Huntress returned with a smirk.

"Indeed," Wonder Woman nodded, though found some respect to give to the younger heroine. She looked down at the reptilian alien that the Huntress had killed, "Now this creature truly looks like a demon straight from the underworld."

"At least all of them aren't robots." Huntress stated as she took out another enemy with one of her bolts. Still the numbers were very large, and getting larger as she saw a large contingent of machines coming their way. 

"We need to take care of them before they can get to us!" Superman stated as he blasted back at some of the alien's mecha with his x-ray vision while Green Lantern was more or less using his powers to protect and shield the heroes' only way back to earth.

"Easier said than done but I'm not fast enough to take them all out, especially when all they have to do is stand there and fire at..." Flash said as he dodging and hitting aliens and machines alike when suddenly an idea came to him. "That's it! Black Canary! Use your Canary Cry!"

"What?" Black Canary blinked.

"Just scream at the bucket heads alright!" Flash shouted.

Black Canary took a look at the coming machines and a smile graced her face when she figured out what Flash meant, "Ah... **_SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"_**

The robots that got nailed by the Canary Cry started to fizzle out and short circuit. Some of them fell down and stopped functioning while others began to attack themselves as well as the aliens that weren't machines

The six superheroes just stared in surprise at what had happened to their enemies but weren't complaining. Huntress smiled at this, "Nice work Dinah."

"A truly marvelous display of your powers sister," Wonder Woman added, sharing Huntress's own thoughts.

"Thanks," Black Canary blushed.

"Hey! How about some praise for the guy that came up with the idea?!" Flash snapped.

"Well. I suppose it was wise of you to come up with such an idea," Wonder Woman said though regretted it when she saw the Flash right behind her. 

"So does this mean you are free some time soon?" he asked her.

"We are in the middle of a battle and you have the gall to ask such thing of me boy?!" Wonder Woman growled.

"Besides it's not over yet," Superman stated, "Batman still has to plant the bomb before we can leave."

* * *

What did he just say Zorac? Brak asked.

They have a bomb here. They plan to set it off. Zorac explained.

HA! And what should we fear from them? Brak asked.

Well if they have a US Tomahawk 230 Nuclear-tipped Missile they could destroy this ship.

Brak and Zorac turned toward Moltar who had said that. How do you know that?

You haven't seen Independence Day? Moltar asked as he changed on of the monitors to another scene. It was the end of Independence Day where the two humans on a stolen alien space ship fired a nuclear bomb into the ship through the alien command center and after the humans had escaped, the mother ship blew up.

Brak stared at this for a bit before grabbing Zorac by the throat, Why the Hezmana didn't you tell me anything about this!

I... had no idea... Zorac gasped.

Then die for your stupidity! Brak said as he snapped Zorac's neck and looked back at Moltar. Stay here while I go to the Core Generator area to ... to go look out for our people and make sure they are safe.

Right. Moltar nodded as he saw Brak leave but then scrambled to change the channel as he had all the monitors in the room change to showing Wonder Woman, Black Canary and Huntress attacking. Oh Zappa! What lovely bigguns loomas! What lovely faces! What lovely eyes! What lovely hair! What lovely hootiegruibas! URGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

* * *

Brak meanwhile was chuckling as he was heading toward the room where the Core Generator was housed. Idiot. By getting into this room, I will be the safest from all of the humans. Its so toxic to humans, as soon as they set on foot into the room they will die! 

Entering where the room was, he punched in his access code and entered it. He saw the great generator inside that was what powered his massive ship and paid so much for it. He put his hands over it before moving to the side. At least here, I am safe.

"I guess this must be the nerve center. Its got the biggest source of energy coming out and if I stepped foot in side, I would end up receiving lethal doses of radiation poisoning."

Brak spun around and saw the Batman looking down at something, punching in a code of some sort. YOU?! What do you think you are doing human! Just who do you think you are! I am...

"Took me about ten minutes to find this place. Running at full breakneck speed and time to get out should be about fifteen minutes." Batman decided.

Hey! Listen to me you inferior drannit! Brak shouted.

Batman looked up and saw Brak yelling at him, "Sorry but I don't speak lizard." He hit a giant red button on the console, and from its hidden compartment the nuclear warhead was fired from it.

WHAT!!! BUT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HIT THE COMMAND CENTER!!! Brak screamed as the nuke impaled him through the chest and imbedded itself into the wall right next to the Core Generator.

"Sorry. But I like I said, I don't speak lizard. Watch that for me will you?" Batman said as he slammed the door shut and ran off.

NO!!! NO!!! I CAN'T DIE! I AM BRAK!!! ZORAC!!! SAVE ME!!! Brak yelled out but realized something. Oh yes... I killed Zorac... WAIT! Moltar! He will save me! All I have to do is call him! MOLTAR!!! Brak hit his communication device on his wristband while he was bleeding but instead of Moltar, he saw up close picture of a certain Amazon Princess doing battle and destroying his own forces. When he tried to switch the channel. He got the same results only it was Huntress doing the butt kicking. Another change of the channel and he got the Black Canary. Trying to change to any channel, all he got was Wonder Woman, Huntress or Black Canary destroying his robots and killing his reptilian brothers in arms, What the... MOLTAR!!!!

* * *

Hootiegruiba ... what lovely hootiegruibas ... Moltar sighed as he gazed fondly at the three women as he saw them taking down the robots using hand-to-hand moves. He felt like he was in heaven. 

I really don't want to kill such lovely hootiegruibas...hmmm. Maybe I'll make them all my wives. What do you think Brak? looking around he saw Brak wasn't around. Oh that's right he's at the core room with the rest of the crew right Zorac? 

Zorac's lifeless body had no answers for him.

Oh yeah Zorac's dead. Moltar shook his head. He looked back at the monitors and saw on one of them Wonder Woman fly through the air and deliver a frighteningly powerful uppercut to destroy a robot. On another he saw Huntress use her crossbow and then her daggers to take down both robots and more of his kind but thought that she did it in such a sexy way so it was okay with him. On a third monitor, Black Canary was using a combination of her Canary Cry as well as introducing to Moltar's brethren the art of savate, which they had no chance of defending against because they never saw it used before.

In the very back on one monitor was angles on the men but Moltar wasn't gay. He liked women and wanted to have the best one to be his wife. Or wives.

Yup. Can't wait till we conquer and kill the puny earthlings so I can have these three hootiegruibas to myself. Moltar mused.

* * *

Back in the hanger, the others were fighting off the aliens successfully when Batman came in running. "Get to the ship now! We have only five minutes before the bomb goes off!"

"Five minutes!" Black Canary gasped.

"You have to be kidding us!" Flash snapped.

"Oh he is not kidding! Move your asses now!" Huntress shouted as she was the first to make a beeline for the shuttle but Batman was still in front of her running for it.

Soon all of the superheroes made it to the shuttle and all boarded it, including Green Lantern. There was no time for tests so Batman just fired up the engines and punched it. The _Liberty_ rocketed away from the Alien Mothership with only a minute to spare. As that was the situation, they got to see in the forward monitor images from the rear cameras.

* * *

In the core generator room, Brak looked at the LCD screen on the warhead as it counted down.  

_15...14...13...12...11...10..._

THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME!!! Brak said in denial, as he knew he was dying from his wound anyway, I CAN'T DIE LIKE SOMEONE ELSE WHO TRIED TO TAKE OVER THE EARTH!!! I'LL BE REMEMBERED THROUGH THE UNIVERSE AS AN EVIL OVERLORD THAT TRIED TO COPYCAT A FAILED PLAN OF CONQUEST! I WILL BE KNOW AS THE GREATEST FOOL THAT EVER EXISTED! PEOPLE WILL EVER LAUGH AT ME AT MY FUNERAL!!!

_5...4...3...2...1..._

I hope you enjoyed what ever it was you were doing Moltar. See you in the yotz. Brak sighed as he prepared for the end.

Those were his last words as the bomb went off, killing him instantly.

* * *

Lovely hootiegruibas... such lovely hootiegruibas with such great loomas... Moltar smiled as he played the images of the three female superheroines over and over again since he couldn't see any more live footage since his beautiful sexy hootiegruibas had left the ship. He knew however they would be his.

It should be a comfort to him that he felt like he was in heaven as his hootiegruibas were the very last thing he saw before he was blown into oblivion by the nuclear warhead.

* * *

On the _Liberty_, the heroes were treated to the sight of seeing the Alien Mothership exploding.

"Yes! It's scrap!" Flash shouted.

"That was the easy part!" Batman returned, "Now comes the hard part!"

"There's a hard part?!" Black Canary questioned.

"If we don't escape the backwash of the explosion we will be killed when the shuttle explodes!" Batman shouted.

"Damn it! Why do you always neglect to tell me things like this!" Huntress snapped.

"Forget just you! What about telling the rest of us!" Flash added.

Fortunately for all of them, even thought it was very tight, the _Liberty_ managed to escape from the explosive backwash.

"We are clear." Batman breathed.

"YES!!! YAHOO!!! We did it!"

Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman hear the exclamations and yells from Black Canary, Huntress and the Flash who didn't even care about the stares. They were just glad to have pulled it all off.

"Kids," Batman sighed.

"Let them," Superman said, "They have every reason to celebrate."

"And so do we," Wonder Woman replied, "This is something history to say the least."

"Though as far as we celebrate, I think it would be less vocal than their way," Green Lantern said.

__Absolutely.__ Batman said silently.

* * *

Two hours later, the heroes returned to earth and disembarked from the Liberty. The sun has set, giving the sky a tinted orange look about it. Superman stands in front of all of the gathered superheroes. His face showing how proud he is, "Thank you, everyone. You've done a great service to the entire planet and possibly even the universe." 

"Don't mention it, Supes," Flash said without any modesty, "It was one hell of a ride that's for sure."

"The greatest adventure anyone of us could have ever under took," Black Canary said.

"I still can't believe we survived a nuke being with us and its back wash," Huntress stated as he looked toward Batman, "So how much did it cost you to get your hands on it?"

"Now you ask me about the money?" Batman questioned.

"Hey. We survived. I think I am entitled to know." Huntress quipped.

Wonder Woman looked over at the Green Lantern, who looked somewhat troubled, "Are you alright?"

"I thought this uneasiness was because I was feeling the aliens coming from far away... but it wasn't from them at all. I see that now." Green Lantern said.

Everyone turned to look at the Green Lantern. "What are you talking about GL?" Flash asked.

"Have any of you felt like there's something wrong with the world? The one we all live in when we aren't trying to protect it." Green Lantern asked of them all seriously, "Maybe its my own nerves from not being on earth for so long after years in space... but I just have this feeling that things aren't right and there is something wrong with everything."

"It must be just you. I feel just fine about the world," Flash said cockily.

"It must because you are so carefree," Black Canary said softly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Flash asked her.

"Means there's always more than meets the eyes in everything," Black Canary said to him.

"I am being serious with what I am telling you all. For weeks now I have been feeling things are wrong with the world and even now I've been feeling there's something wrong with me." Green Lantern said firmly, trying to get his message across.

"Yeah well maybe you are right about the part about being in space to long affecting you man," Flash suggested.

"Hey Flash knock it off alright. The man is spooked," Huntress spoke up, "We aren't going to get anywhere with everyone snapping at each other." 

Batman noticed there was something in Huntress's own voice that said she was holding something back but decided to respect her privacy by saying nothing.

"The Huntress is right," Wonder Woman agreed, "We just fought a very grand battle. It is natural to feel stressed and perhaps little unlike who we truly are."

"Then we should all meet again in five days just so we have time to clear our heads," Superman suggested, "I was going to ask to meet with all of you again in that time anyway."

"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Batman asked.

"I'd rather tell you all when we meet again. Meet me outside of Metropolis in five days." Superman said to them all.

"Fine. I'll see you there Supes, because now I am going to go have myself a party. Bye!" the Flash took off in a blur of red.

"See you all in five days everyone," Black Canary said as she walked over to her Harley with Huntress coming to her, "Hey Canary wait! Give me a lift back to Gotham since I don't trust the bat to do it!"

"Heh. Speaking of whom..." Superman turned around but noticed that the Dark Knight was gone, "Well he's already vanished."

"I must go as well but I promise to be where you have decreed in five days. Fair well my friends," Wonder Woman said to Green Lantern and Superman before taking to the skies.

Superman and Green Lantern shook hands, "Take care John and be there in five days."

"I will. Just think about what I said," Green Lantern asked of the Man of Steel.

"I will." And with that the two superheroes went off into separate directions. Everyone ready to take a rest.

A rest they all deserved... yet only few would sleep well.

* * *

Superman returned to his apartment in Metropolis and changed into his normal clothes, returning his other identity, that of mild mannered Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet. Going into the living room, he was not surprised to find his wife sitting on the couch watching the evening news.

"You mind telling me whose the lady who dresses like the American flag but shows more cleavage than another female superheroine we know about is doing so close to you?" Lois Lane-Kent asked with coy smirk across her face. On the tv, it was currently showing news real footage of Superman and Wonder Woman working side by side to take care of the alien invaders.

"Well according to Diana, that's a ceremonial battle armor for the position of Wonder Woman plus normal Amazonian battle garb," Clark replied as he sat on the couch next to her.

"Really," Lois smirked, "You're telling me that an island full of women dress so scantily clad they don't care at all."

"They live on an island that no a single male being. Period." Clark explained, "Hence why Diana called and still calls our world 'Man's World'."

Lois just stared at her husband for a bit before laughing out loud making the earth raised Kryptonian stare at her in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Well I would hardly call this 'Man's World' Clark," Lois laughed, "I mean we have women in positions of power and I hear, surprisingly, that Hillary Clinton is actually thinking of running for the Presidency in 2004."

"I don't know if I should be afraid of that or not," Clark chuckled at that.

"Seriously though Clark. What's Wonder Woman like... off the record of course." Lois quipped.

"Of course off the record, if it was on the record you'd expose my identity to the world," Clark replied with a smile before sobering up, "She's definitely strong willed, determined, and cares about protecting the innocent." Looking at his wife seriously he added, "And no. She wasn't interested in me at all."

"Good to know," Lois said but saw Clark sighing. "You okay?"

"That invasion... it was the worst threat this planet has ever had to face," Clark sighed as he put his hands through his hair, "If it had just been me against those aliens, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

"You are being too hard on yourself as always," Lois told him.

"No. Not this time," Clark shook his head, "The job is getting to big for just me to handle all by myself. I have to say though that Diana, Batman and the other five... the seven of us worked very well together. It's kind of the reason why I asked them to meet with me again in a few days."

"For what?" Lois asked as she saw the look on his face, "Are you thinking of forming a Legion of Dogooders? A Group of Superfriends?"

"All your colorful remarks aside, the answer is yes... though I thought of it more like a Justice League," Clark said with a smile.

"A little corny, but actually a good title." Lois said, "You think they'll agree to it?"

"I don't know. I hope so," Clark replied, "I can't help but get the feeling that something is amiss."

Lois threw her hands up in exasperation, "Oh Clark! Enough with the world disasters! The aliens are gone. It is nearly midnight." She shut the television off and snuggled up close to him, "What do you say we turn in, have some quality time before we go to sleep. After this I think you need it like you need to breath."

"You or me?" Clark asked her with a smirk.

"Why don't you find out?" Lois smirked back. She felt her self being carried off by her lover who had her in his arms as he carried her into their bedroom.

What happened after that is none of our business.

* * *

Meanwhile, the woman that Lois had been teasing about to her husband was now in the apartment building that she had leased and was living in. She had decided not to long after entering Man's World to have another identity. She kept her real first name and decided to use her part of her title for the last. Hence came her alter ego in Man's World: Diana Prince.

Diana at the moment was simply dressed in white top and shorts, lying on her bed as she thought of the grand battle that had taken place over the last two weeks. __By the Gods of Olympus, my Amazonian Sisters would have loved to have been a part of that great battle. Artemis herself must have been tempted to fight in herself. It was a glorious fight.__

Her thoughts turned the six others that she had met and fought along side with during the assault by the invaders. First was the mysterious Batman. A very roguish and unconventional warrior if she ever met one and yet they had both earned each others respect rather quickly and worked well with each other.

The same would not be said with the woman called the Huntress. She had the nerve to insult her battle armor, which had been given to her by the Goddesses themselves. __The outfit of a stripper indeed. She does have a bit of a mouth to her._ _the Amazonian Princess growled though admitted that she was a fine warrior in her own right, even if lacking in the power that Diana herself wielded.

There was also the Green Lantern. A straightforward and simple fellow, Diana had no problems or qualms with working with that man. Though his thoughts of there being something amiss with the world was something that she already knew. She felt evil everywhere, but only because there was no evil on Themyscira. She would have to learn to adjust to the feelings she gained from staying here.

The Flash however was someone that she had more problems with than even the Huntress. He had tried to hit on her, more than once during the entire crisis. She felt like whacking the petulant boy upside of his head if only to knock some sense into whatever it was he had for a brain. Still, he was dependable when it mattered most.

Black Canary, now here was truly a female that she could bond with. Resilient, cunning, skilled in hand to hand combat, her curse that she had turned into a blessing. She would make a fine Amazonian sister had she been raised on Themyscira. She looked forward to seeing more of the blonde haired woman as she felt they could have much in common.

Lastly, there was Superman, the alien as she had learned from reading the newspapers and the television. Her eyes darted over to the small black box that she herself owned, __I swear it is shear magic. To communicate with others with pictures over great distances. It's magic.__ She turned her thoughts back to Superman, who fascinated her more than any other person that she had met here in Man's World. When she saw him, she felt things with in her she had never felt before but her training had pushed them down into the back of her mind. What she did understand was that she felt pride and honor for having fought along side him and she respected him, him above all other men.

__I wonder what he wants to discuss in four days with the rest of us?__ Diana mused. Shrugging, she turned on her television and started to watch the evening news on NBC. After it ending, she then watched the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

On Themyscira, there was no such thing as comedy shows, and for a warrior princess like Diana, she had found herself taking a healthy and laughing relationship ever since discovering the show by pure accident.

* * *

In Central City, Wally West felt the need for sleep as he put his Flash speed suit in its street place in his home. He had been running himself faster than ever and he felt more tired than he ever felt in his entire life. 

__Then again those freaking green-eyed aliens really did a number on me with those blasters. Going to have to thank Black Canary for saving my butt... just not sure how though.__ Wally thought as he looked down at a picture on his bed stand.

It was of his uncle Barry West, who had been the very first Flash. Barry had died under mysterious circumstances and after a lab accident that was almost too similar to what happened to his uncle, Wally ended up gaining the same powers that Barry had as the Flash. He had started out as Kid Flash, working with the Teen Titans but after Uncle Barry died, he became the Flash and Central City became his city. His city and his people to protect.

It was never an easy job. The dizziness he felt some times didn't make it any easier though after sleeping he woke up refreshed.

__Uncle Barry... I hope you are proud of what I am doing in your name._ _Wallythought, __I know I act like a showboat sometimes and I know I can never be the Flash that you were... I just hope you are happy with the Flash that I am and have been.__

Keeping those thoughts with him, Wally West turned in and went to sleep, hoping to have a good night's sleep.

* * *

Helena Bertinelli sat on the bed in her flat in New York and was thinking about things that had happened with her. She had actually taken part in an attack against a hostile alien force that was to have attacked the planet along with six other superheroes. __I have to say though that Wonder Woman person definitely didn't show any embarrassment for wearing that striper girl like outfit._ _she mused.

She thought about the meeting that Superman was going to have in a few days, he had something big planned was what he hinted on, seeing how well the seven of them all had worked together to stop the invasion. __I have to admit, even Batman worked well with us. Almost like a team player though he doesn't like playing on anyone's team but his own.__

She looked at her hands and put them through her hair, thinking things over in her head but also was troubled a bit by what the Green Lantern said. About how he felt things weren't right in the world.

Her world hadn't been right since she was born. The daughter of a now deceased New York Crime Boss, Helena had been subjected to many things including being kidnapped by people who wanted her father. It was because of these things that she had become the Huntress. To fight crime and do it directly.

But lately she had been plagued by recurring dreams, of things looking strange, of buildings looking odd and of the sky bright and beautiful. There were people there around her and she felt like she should have known them.

__Maybe those aliens did do something to us and we don't even know about it.__ Helena sighed as she didn't know what to think. All she decided to do then was go to sleep. She would need it for her job as an inner city teacher in the morning and later at night for being the Huntress.

But even in her sleep, she kept wondering what dreams would come to her this evening.

* * *

Above earth orbit, John Stewart was in thought. He knew something bad was coming. He knew something was wrong with the world.

So why didn't many take his warning seriously.

__Maybe because the old saying is true. 'Ignorance is bliss'__ John mused, __At least Superman decided to call that meeting for all seven of us in the next few days. Maybe I can convince them then, after they have had some time to think about what I said.__

John often wondered if the other Green Lanterns thought he was doing his best. But right now he was wondering about himself. During the invasion, he hadn't been feeling like himself. He had had some moments were things just didn't fit into his normal train of thought and it nearly cost him.

__It wasn't the aliens... it was just something that had happened a few months ago. A nagging feeling of dread and uncertainty that has only grown and grown since then._ _John admitted to himself, __I need to figure this out and I need to figure it out now. Otherwise I'll never be able to be myself again.__

Sighing, John decided it was time to head on home and get some sleep. He needed it if he was going to keep his sanity.

* * *

For Dinah Laurel Lance aka the Black Canary, her own sanity was some times questioned by the dreams she had. Dreams that could be either pleasant or horrific.

Tonight it was the latter; that could be seen by how she tossed and turned in her sleep. Dinah had one more power that she had not shared with anyone that she had met. That she was a latent telepath and when she slept, she sometimes dreamt things. Some times they were of the past and others they were of the future.

_She saw herself hovering like a ghost, dressed in her Black Canary outfit. At the moment she looked down and saw a laboratory of some sort. Taking a more detailed look, she saw seven unknown people strapped to surgical tables. All of them were unconscious now as she saw men and white suits working on them. She didn't see what exactly but the instruments that they were using didn't give Dinah any reassurance that they were nice surgical instruments._

_Suddenly the people on the tables were being wheeled out. She tried to see who the people were but she couldn't see a thing. The doctors were covering their faces with their bodies._

_Dinah wondered what the purpose of her seeing this was but then she felt something cold and dark behind her. She turned around there was a being within the shadows. He looked seven foot tall, his build was massive and he looked frightening. The scariest part of all though was two blood red eyes. _

_Eyes that started to glow crimson as they narrowed at Dinah. She wanted to move but felt so afraid then at this shadowy being. She tried harder and harder to get away but couldn't move an inch. It was then the being fired two bolts of energy from his eyes and she felt them go right through her chest. Through her heart. Through..._

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Dinah screamed as she woke with a start, her entire body sweating up a storm. She looked at her clothes and saw she was in her white nightgown. She looked at her chest and saw no scars, no burns of any kind. She put a hand over her face as she took in deep breaths, "What a nightmare..." she gasped as she looked over to her nightstand where a very important picture was.

It was a picture of Carolyn Lance, her mother and the first Black Canary. She picked it up and held her to her heart.

"Mother. Watch over of me please," Dinah cried, "I have a very bad feeling something terrible is going to happen. I don't know what it is... I just know it's going to be bad. Real bad." With that said, Dinah tried to go back to sleep but held the picture with her at all times, her grip never slackening at all.

* * *

When Batman returned to his home in the Batcave, he removed his cowl from his face and took a good look at his face. 

Or rather the mask that acted as his face. 

For months now he had worn this mask, made to be an exact replica of the face of Bruce Wayne to cover up the damage done to him by one of the Joker's tricks. It had turned his entire face bone white, part of a chemical trick that was designed to turn the Batman just as crazy as the Joker himself. 

He had defeated the Joker but still the damage had been done. However now there should have been some change, some showing that the skin had returned to its normal color.

"Let's see what I look like now," Bruce said as he put his fingers to where the mask's end should be. However he could not find it. "What?" he searched all over for the edge of the mask and found nothing until he reached at the base of his neck and found a small nip of the latex skin and tried to pull the mask off of his face and yet it wouldn't come off. It wouldn't even budge and inch. He tried to pull at the face as hard as he could but he couldn't get this mask off. It had now become his face.

"What is this!" Bruce shouted as he slammed his hands down on a table. __I don't understand this! This shouldn't be happening! I should be able to take this mask off any time I want! Unless...!!!_ _He remembered about the Green Lantern's words from before, about how he felt there was something amiss with the entire populous. He thought things were off base entirely and that he himself was not the same person he should have been.

He realized he needed an answer and he had one way of finding out. He just wished it wouldn't pain him this much to do it. He pressed on the intercom system, "Alfred. Can I see you in the cave?"

"Right away sir." Alfred's voice replied back.

Bruce pulled his cowl over his face and became Batman once more, yet he did not know if he wanted to be right or wrong about this.

* * *

A few days later, Superman was surprised to have gotten a call from Batman, who asked to have their meeting changed over to being held at the Batcave. This surprised Superman, who knew who Batman was since the time that they had first met to fight both Lex Luthor and the Joker. Since then, he knew Bruce was more paranoid about security than anyone else on the planet.

After meeting up with Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Huntress, the Flash, and Black Canary, he brought them over to where the Batcave was.

"Wow... impressive," Huntress commented.

"It looks almost like the underworld where Hades's lives. So much darkness," Wonder Woman spoke.

"Well I guess he does have one to many..." the Flash started but then Batman's voice came through, "Say the ending to that joke Flash and I don't think you'll like my reply."

"Geez you have to be so serious?" Flash raised his hands up in defense 

Batman just narrowed his eyes at the young man as he spoke, "Believe me when I say what I have found out is no joking matter."

"What do you mean by that?" Black Canary asked.

"Green Lantern was right," Batman explained, "There is something strange going on but it's not us feeling wrong."

"What do you mean by that?" Superman asked.

"See for yourself." Batman tossed over to Green Lantern something, which he then dropped. Black Canary picked up and let out a scream, which was amplified by her Canary Cry, causing the bats in the Batcave to go nuts.

"What? What is it?" Flash asked but then stopped cold when he saw it.

"Great Hera!" Wonder Woman muttered in shock, "What is that?"

What they all saw was the severed head of Alfred Pennyworth... except he had wires coming out of the neck.

"What is going on Batman?" Superman asked the Dark Knight who moved over to the wall and pulled off a cover.

Sitting unconscious in her wheelchair was Barbara Gordon. Hanging on the wall were the dismembered bodies of Tim Drake, Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya and Commissioner James Gordon along with several other nameless people. Only like Alfred, they were robots. 

"It is very simple. This world isn't real. Everyone is a robot while the seven of us are the only real living beings here at all." Batman said.

Everyone just stared at him before Flash started to laugh, "I think you've finally lost it old man."

"I would have thought it was just my imagination if I hadn't found out the mask I wear over my head was sealed to my skin and I am not talking about my cowl." Batman replied.

"You wear a mask over your head? Because of disfiguration?" Huntress asked. Seeing his look, she put her hands to her neck and tried to pull something off that the others couldn't see. "What... this... it's not possible! It won't come off!"

"What won't come off?" Wonder Woman asked.

"The latex mask that I have over my head to hide the scars over my face!" Huntress gasped as she tried to pull the mask off but found she couldn't. "It won't come off!"

"You have a mask on too?" Black Canary gasped making the others stare at her as well when she tried to pull at her own face but nothing was coming off. "This is impossible... that the explosion that was caught in during that fight at the East End Warehouse was bad but that was months ago. My skin healing shouldn't have caused this to happen. Just what is going on?!"

"I think I can assume everyone here has a mask of their own face over their heads," Batman stated as he looked over at Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and the Flash, all of whom were not even saying anything. The silence was becoming somewhat unbearable.

Finally, it was broken by the Man of Steel, who spoke softly, "I had been exposed to a new form of Kryptonite in my face for too long. My face was so mutated according to Doctor Hamilton, that they decided to make a mask with lead lining within to shield myself from such exposure ever again as well as have a way of continuing with my business normally."

"A battle with Sinestro and his power ring cracked open my skull and he decided to mutilate my face until other Green Lanterns came to my aid," Green Lantern explained, "The Guardians made a replica mask of my face for me to wear so I wouldn't have to look at the hideousness that was left on my true face."

Wonder Woman decided to speak next, "During my first weeks in Man's World, I ended up having a fight with a vicious she-demon calling herself Cheetah. She was the fiercest opponent I had ever fought against in my life. She marred and clawed at my face when she had me down and started to black out from blood loss but I managed to knock her out. Before I fell unconscious, I changed out of my costume and into civilian clothing. When I came too, I found myself in a hospital and they told me I had been found by a group of wildlife preserve guards who were looking out for poachers. They said I had been the victim of a wild animal mauling and was lucky to be alive. I knew there was something on my face and the doctors said they had created this mask using a photograph from my passport. I wanted to see what damage had been done but the doctors there showed me pictures of what I looked like rather than letting me take off this..." she pulled at her own face by the neck where she saw there was to have been a flap or small nip of latex to pull at but it would not budge. "This abomination that I have on now!"

"Well I don't know what it is but it's the only thing that has kept me looking good and keeping my sanity ever since I gained my powers!" Flash snapped. At the others stares he said, "Yeah. Getting my powers happened in a lab accident and it totaled my face. I was very fortunate that a friend of mine could create this mask of my face for me so I wouldn't look like a freak." After saying that, he felt Wonder Woman right in front of his face. 

"We are not freaks!" Wonder Woman stated firmly and with conviction, "Obviously we are all being tormented by some unknown force!"

"What makes you think that gorgeous?" Flash asked.

"I see what you are saying," Huntress spoke up. "Maybe just one or two of us having this same problem would be plausible."

"But all seven of us coming together in such a short amount of time and finding out that we all have a mask of our faces over our heads to cover a hideous disfigurement?" Black Canary added, "The odds of that are so astronomically large that it's a total impossibility!"

"Agreed," Superman nodded. "Something is definitely wrong with everything here." He looked back over at the robots that he also knew had been friends and colleges of Batman's. "But we don't know if the entire world is robots or if its just those closest to us... meaning...!" he was about to leave but Batman's voice came to him. 

"Stay here Superman. We aren't going to get anywhere by splitting up." Batman snapped, "You know it and I know it. The best way we can help is by finding out what is really wrong here."

__But Lois... if she's been replaced with a robot like Bruce's most trusted friends...__ Shaking his head, Superman knew that Batman was right. They had to understand this mess first. He looked over at the unconscious Barbara, "What about her? Is she a..."

"Yes." 

"Then why didn't you take her apart like car in a chop shop like you did with the others?" Flash asked.

"Because we don't have any answers and I thought it would be best to leave one in tact." Batman stated.

"You didn't want to put her through any more pain," Superman spoke, "Regardless of her being a machine or not."

Batman growled at Superman saying that much about Barbara but let it go and nodded, "I thought it would be best to leave her intact. But before we begin finding out about what she knows, there's something that has been bothering me for a bit now. I wanted to ask you all if you had heard of it at all."

"What's that?" Black Canary asked.

"Have any of you ever heard of the word 'Power Ranger' before?" Batman asked.

Many of them thought of just saying a what, but as Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Black Canary, Flash and Huntress thought about it and let Batman's words sink in, they thought it sounded familiar, as if they should have known something about these 'Power Rangers' but were totally clueless as to what. The looks on their faces were enough of an answer for Batman who then said, "Looks like I was right. These 'Power Rangers' do mean something to us but we don't remember what at all."

"Could our minds have been tampered with?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Well that's what I intend to find out from her," Batman said as he took the robot Barbara out of her wheelchair and put her on an operating table. He moved the back of her hair and found a small socket after hitting a switch that was hidden through the mass of red hair. When he put a plug into the jack, Barbara's eyes opened up.

"B... Batman what are you doing?" Barbara asked but saw her hands and legs were being held down by Huntress and Flash. "What... What is going on?!"

"Findign out what's going on with you," Batman said coldly as he could.

"Get off me!" Barbara snapped at Flash.   
  
"Well it's not as if you can go anywhere..." Flash said with a smile. To his shock though, it got him a backhand that sent him flying across the room.

"Now that was uncalled for Flash!" Barbara snapped. "No one ever mocks me for being paralyzed!"

"Whoa!" Huntress gasped as she saw what Barbara had done. "Clear across the room and she doesn't even notice it!" When she saw Barbara turn toward her, she was unprepared for the punch that Barbara threw at her. She was luck she had some time to brace herself before it connected, the force of the punch sent her right into Green Lantern and Black Canary and all three fell to the ground.

"Bruce! Damn it what the hell do you think you are doing to me!" Barbara shouted but before could even roll in any direction, Superman and Wonder Woman where right there and were holding her down on the table. Barbara struggled against the two super beings but her strength was not having the same affect on them as it had on Huntress and Flash, "Damn it! Let me go!" 

"By the Gods of Olympus she is strong!" Wonder Woman gasped. "She possesses great strength and a fiery spirit to say the least."

"Batman! If you are going to check her out I suggest you do it now before she tries something else," Superman stated, "Like Diana said, she is strong!"

"Not stronger than both of you or one of you individually." Batman said casually as he finished inputting commands into the main frame and then hit enter.

When that happened, Barbara started to convulse on the table and shook all about, not able to handle what was going on to her thanks to what Batman had done. Finally after five minutes it stopped and her eyes were closed as she lay perfectly still. Flash was back on his feet and was staying away from the prone Barbara. "Well what now?" 

"Now we wait," Batman said as they just waited for something to happen with Barbara.

They did not have to wait long for Barbara to awaken. Only this time, she was looking disoriented as she used her hands to push herself to a sitting up position. "... what... what happened... the explosion..."

"Explosion?" Huntress questioned.

"Yes. The explosion that happened with the Rangers decided to..." 'Barbara' started to say but when she saw where she was she stopped. "Where am I... who are you people... what is..." she froze as she stayed perfectly still. "There are new connections... I have different systems now... its not the same as before... what is this?"

"Excuse me but... what the holy hell are you blabbing about Babs?" Flash asked sounding very annoyed and sore from that hit she had given him a few minutes ago.

"Babs... who's Babs... I don't know what you are..." she froze again she looked over at Batman and stared at him, "Batman... you're Batman right?"

The Dark Knight stared at the robot with narrowed eyes, "Yes. You sound unsure of yourself."

"I am sorry... but I shouldn't feel like this. I have never met you before and yet I have these memories... no not memories data files... whatever they are they tell me that I know you… ARGH!" she slammed her fist down against the table in frustration and saw the dent she made in it. She brought her right hand up to her eyes and saw the knuckle.

Her knuckle.

"By the Power..." she gasped as she looked at her right hand before looking and moving her left hand and then arm. She was moving them around as if she was just using them for the very first time. 

These actions drew stares from everyone, though they didn't show it publicly. __Just what is going on here?__ Batman mused to himself as he saw the woman robot that was made to be Barbara Gordon look at herself as if she was a newborn baby.

Finally she looked down and saw something that made her eyes go wide, "... I have a chest... I have a female humanoid woman's chest..." she muttered as she put her hands onto her bust and let out a gasp, "... and its real..." Her eyes then caught sight of something red coming from her top and when she pulled at it she felt a sensation that didn't feel good but when she brought it in front of her face she saw that it was hair. Red hair. Her hair. "By the Holy Ones..."

However the kicker was when she saw herself a reflective wall. She saw herself. Her body.

"By the Creator... I have a body... a humanoid mechanical body..." 'Barbara' gasped.

"Um... excuse me," Huntress spoke up feeling just about as annoyed with what was going on as a few others, "But I think we would like to know who and what you are and if you know anything about 'Power Rangers' that would be..." she stopped in mid sentence when 'Barbara' started to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"What's so funny?" 'Barbara' laughed. "What's so funny is that everything has changed for me and that you seem to know nothing about the greatest heroes that the universe has ever known. Heroes that I was a home to for years..." her laughter ended then as she became somber, "Until the day I was destroyed in the service of saving many innocents... or I thought I was destroyed."

The seven superheroes just continued to look at the android until Wonder Woman decided to speak. "So then... who are or were you?"

The woman robot didn't speak for a few moments but then in a very calm voice she gave her answer, "I was the Artificial Intelligence of the Astro Megaship, the base of operations for both the Astro and Galaxy Rangers. My name is DECA."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a darkened room that had screams of pain occasionally running through it, there was a being sitting on a throne of sorts. He was not surprised or moved when he saw a being come out from the shadows below his throne. The being was dressed in red pants and a black jacket and had a purple snake tattoo over his chest. On both of his hands was a set of metal claws. A silver mask covered his face save for his blue eyes.

"Speak Krugal," the being on the throne, who was apparently the human male's master, spoke. "How goes the game?"

"The pieces are becoming curious. Several standard drones and a few of our Replicates have gone offline." Krugal answered his master.

"Do they remember anything of their true selves?" the master asked.

"No. They only know that something is wrong with their... world," Krugal sneered, adding a bit of bite to the word world.

His master laughed when hearing that, "Well then. We must help them feel right at home once more with their world."

"I have already ordered for replacement for the drones and Replicates models that were terminated," Krugal spoke.

"Excellent. You did have them equipped with knock out gas?" the master spoke.

"Paralyzing dart guns actually. They seem better with shooting guns. I know you did not wish to have your investments damaged," Krugal nodded.

"You are a good servant Krugal," the master smiled, "As of now I have enjoyed watching these Power Rangers of the past and of the future playing my game. The people who enjoy watching these shows have asked for more and have paid me well for what I have done." A sinister smile formed on his face, "And by holding three that have yet to be in my captivity, I can hold all of history at my command. The universe they reside in can and will be molded to my liking."

"Of course sir... but when do they die? When they resist us now?" Krugal asked and to that he was given a malicious laughter.

"No my lieutenant. They will die when they cease to entertain me." The master told him. "Now go and carry out my orders and let me know how they play out."

"As you wish Lord Gamesmaster," Krugal bowed and vanished in silver light.

The being known as Gamesmaster stepped out into the light of his dimly lit command center. He looked almost just like Darkseid of Apokolyps, save he was dressed in black and he looked human. He was bald headed and his eyes were just black but changed to red when he blinked and then back to black the next time he blinked. 

"Oh Zordon of Eltar, how you must hate me for what I have done. How I have taken those you knew, those you foresaw to be defenders in the future, and those that even you did not foresee. How you must hate me... and I enjoy that hate." Gamesmaster let out a cruel laughter as his eyes started to glow red, "The era of simple acts of evil has now come and gone..." he turned to the right wall where he saw a human slave hanging there. He had left that slave there starving for nearly three whole days, unable to eat or drink. He was so tired that he was begging for mercy, begging to do whatever Gamesmaster asked of him to be freed.

Gamesmaster's eyes flashed red and suddenly a crimson colored blast of energy came from them and incinerated the man. "Now it is my Era... LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!" He threw his head back in sinister laughter, knowing that there was nothing that could stop him.

For no one outside of his space fortress even knew he existed.

**To Be Continued...**

_Author's Notes: Well you heard it from the Big Bad of this series yourselves folks. Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Huntress, the Flash, Black Canary and Green Lantern are in fact seven men and women that have been or have yet to become a Power Ranger. You are wondering why I didn't say who they are? Well that's part of the plot with this story. I am not going to tell you who is under the mask yet. I will leave clues behind as I did in this story, but I will reveal their true identities when the time is right. You can guess if you want but it will be a very wide selection since it could be anyone from the very first season to Wild Force. You want to send any private comments, email me at ericpaladin@hotmail.com. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed what was the first of many installments into this series._


	2. The Unexpected Variable

**_Disclaimer:_**_ The DC comic superheroes and all characters affiliated with them belong to DC of course. You are probably wondering what a story like this would be doing in a Power Rangers story archive. Well if you read the first story, I am pretty sure you'll know the connection but if not, just keep on reading and I think you will see the connection this story has with Power Rangers, which happens to be owned by Disney._

**The Unexpected Variable  
By David Knight**

Inside the Batcave, Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Black Canary, Green Lantern, Huntress and Flash all stood around looking at the robotic being that was made to pose as Barbara Gordon. Instead of finding answers, they have only ended up with more questions as they have found something more mysterious within the robotic woman.

"Well are you just going to stare me like this all the time or are you going to tell me exactly what is going on here?" Deca asked, "Because I am very, very confused right now. The last thing I know is that I am being blown up to help destroy the Scorpion Stinger and then the next..." she stopped when she realized, as she trying to stand up she felt nothing from her legs. 

The mere fact that she even had legs surprised her, but not feeling anything from them when she felt something from her arms and head was scaring her now. "... what is wrong with my legs?"

"The body you are in was built with disabled leg circuits. I have kept those circuits disabled." Batman spoke.

"Why?" Deca asked, "I am not a threat to you."

"No threat?" Flash snapped, "You threw me and raven hair over there across the opposite side of the room!" he pointing to Huntress.

"That wasn't me." Deca replied, "I don't remember being active ever since I was blown to slag. One minute I am terminating and the next moment I wake up in here with the seven of you and I am being interrogated like a criminal!"

"The fact of the matter is, I don't know what you are but you are going to tell us what you know," Batman said as he whirled Deca around to look at disassembled robot bodies that were hanging on the wall. "Or you are going to end up just like them."

Deca looked at the people there and felt tears coming down her eyes, "I don't understand... why do I feel like this for them... as if... they mean something to me... but they aren't to me... its just data... dummy info put into my CPU..." she turned to Batman with her eyes accusing him, "Why did you do that? Just what is your game!"

Batman was about to strike at the robotic woman, but found that someone was holding his hand back. Wonder Woman. "Let go." He said gruffly to the Amazon Princess.

"Your paranoia might have let us to a few discoveries about what is wrong with our world friend," Wonder Woman said firmly, "But so far you have been in control of how we learn and how we move and right now I think you are making a mistake. This isn't the same woman that I held down."

"She's a robot," Batman returned as he tried to jerk his hand out of her grip but to no avail, "Machines can fake any type of emotion."

"Emotions maybe, but eyes are windows to the soul," Wonder Woman said as she looked at Deca, "The thing that Superman and I held down I saw nothing but darkness and a rage... but this being now, I see something. I don't know if its a soul or not, but its more than what the other being had."

"Batman. We all want to know answers, but we aren't going to get them if we treat this DECA like a criminal." Superman said to the Dark Knight with a firm look, "She's as confused as we are about this. Let Diana try to talk to her."

Batman just stared back this and shook his head, "I'll stand by the kill switch... just in case," and walked toward the computer system to be ready to send a virus into Deca should she turn hostile via the connection line that was in her skull to the computer.

Wonder Woman breathed a sigh of relief as she looked back at Deca, "So would you rather I explained first or would you like to go?"

"I think you should tell me first," Deca suggested, "This way maybe I can figure something out behind this."

"As far as we had known, everything in our lives had been very normal," Wonder Woman explained, "But after an alien invasion that lasted for two weeks, Green Lantern brought up concerns that something wasn't right with the world. Most of us dismissed but Superman wanted to meet with us today. The meeting was supposed to take place in Metropolis, but there was a change in plans and Superman brought them to the Batcave for the meeting, which is where we are now. It was then that Batman showed to us that the people that he had trusted as well as innocent people had had picked off from the street were in fact robots."

"And I happened to be in the shell of an android that was made to look like someone he knows." Deca muttered.

"After we saw the robots, Batman explained that he was wearing a mask that was a replica of his face over his head, but also that it wouldn't come off." Wonder Woman continued, "You see, this is the very strange part. All seven of us seem to have been in accident which caused us to have to wear masks made to look like our faces over our heads and now we cant take them off."

"All seven of you," Deca mused, "That is too coincidental. Something has happened to you all and..." she froze as she looked at Wonder Woman's face when trying to adjust her eyes. Instead what she saw was a totally silver face with no features at all.

"What? What's wrong?" Wonder Woman asked.

Deca adjusted her eyes again and her vision became normal. "This body has different features with my eyes. I can see different light wave spectrums... and through things."

"Like Superman does?" Huntress asked.

"What did you see?" Green Lantern asked.

Deca looked over them all this time, using her newly found x-ray vision and just like Wonder Woman, they all had the same silver coated head look. "Its hard to describe... but there's some sort of silver metal mask over your heads that is featureless when I switch to x-ray vision."

"Lead lining," Superman realized as he was looking at Wonder Woman and used his x-ray vision to see just what Deca had seen.

"Lead lining?" Black Canary asked.

"Lead is the only element I can't see through. Whoever did this to us knew to make these masks lined with lead so I couldn't see... se through them." Superman gasped.

"But see what? Our hideously real faces?" Flash commented, which got him a glare from Wonder Woman, Black Canary and Huntress. "Um...maybe not..."

"You are half right Flash. Its so not to see our real faces but not because they are disfigured," Batman spoke up, "Its because we aren't who we believe ourselves to be."

"... Bats. I think you are losing it." Flash muttered.

Deca just looked on and wondered truly what as going on and just where in the universe was she. 

All she knew was that she was in a very bad situation.

* * *

In another area, far away and separate from where Deca was, Krugal was now intending to bring the situation back to the status quo. __This isn't something unusual after all. Some of our pawns have managed to come back with similar pangs of 'there is something wrong with our world'. But we've always been able to put them in their place.__ He chuckled to himself as walked up to a single door with a keypad. __These Power Rangers of past and future will prove to be no different at all.__ he mused as he inputted his code.

"Access granted. Welcome Sir Krugal." A computerized voice spoke as the doors slid open. Once Krugal walked in, he saw the marvel of technology that was Central Watchtower. He had entered at the top of the room, which was a like a balcony seat of an opera house. 

Only in this house when he looked down, he would see rows and rows of technicians at the helms of the most advanced computer systems ever created. The techs jobs were monitor and watch over all of the Game Worlds that Gamesmaster had online. His business was lucrative and profitable but it was also extensive, hence the reason why there were so many technicians, all of which human and none of them thought of betraying Gamesmaster.

If they did it would be back to life as a slave. That was something none of them wanted to go back to ever again.

Krugal himself had once been a slave but he had been put into the Gladiator Game, made to fight in the arena since the age of twelve. He had lasted against so many opponents for seven years. It was at the end of the seventh that Gamesmaster had discovered him and offered him a chance for freedom and power. A fight to the death against one of his lieutenants, Maxium.

Krugal had no problem taking the man's life to gain his freedom and the power he now realished. For the last seven years he had enjoyed everything that he had been given now. He was the one with the power. He was the one that could order slaves to do his work and bidding.  He was among the elite.

One would think that after his childhood that Krugal should have hated Gamesmaster for what he did, but Krugal didn't. All he felt toward his master was gratitude for what he had given to him and the wish to serve him well... for he knew that those who failed Gamesmaster once too often would end up dead.

__I have no intention of dying or failing.__ Krugal said to himself as he sat into his chair what was called 'The Perch' of the Central Watchtower. He inputted the key speaker system and addressed the techs below. "I assume you already received the briefing letter through your systems so I don't have to tell you the situation. Start pulling up the monitors for Game World 000."

"Yes sir." They all said as one. On overhead monitors, screens started to show images of the places within the game world. Ones that had detail listings at the bottom.

"Where are the subjects now?" Krugal asked.

"Subjects Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Huntress, Flash, Black Canary and Green Lantern are all in the Batcave." One technician spoke to him.

"Pull up that monitor." Krugal ordered. However all he saw was just static, "Why are the monitors in the Batcave not functioning?"

"The Ranger we placed as Batman is clever. He was able to create his own jamming device instead of using one of his own, one we could have overridden." one of them said, "We should have visual though within the hour."

"The robot replacements are already at the mansion ready to gas them," Krugal stated, "If we go in blind, we will definitely lose them. They do know something is wrong and they aren't defenseless. Just 'Superman' alone is strong enough take care of them is he is prepared."

"We are trying sir," one of them said.

"Replicates for Commissioner Gordon, Detective Bullock and Officer Montoya are now at the Gotham City Police Station. The civilians that were destroyed were replaced with newer different looking models." Another technician added, "Some GCPD Officer Replicates along with new Replicates for Tim Drake and Alfred Pennyworth have already entered Wayne Mansion."

"Wait. What about the Replicate posing as Barbara Gordon? Was she deactivated?" Krugal asked.

"No. The Barbara Replicate is showing some signs of irregularity but it is still active." the third technician said.

"Maybe we can use this to our advantage. The Slave Replicates are programmed to serve us without us needing to send any commands. She'll get their trust and set up a trap." Krugal smirked.

"Our robot replacements are nearing the communication system," the tech announced.

"Good," Krugal smiled, "Now let's see how this part of the game plays out."

* * *

_*BUZZ* *BUZZ*_

"What is that?" Huntress asked.

"Its the communication system. But no one else knows it save for..." Batman started to say but was interrupted when he heard a familiar voice, "Batman! Are you alright!"

"Robin? What is going on?" Batman asked.

"I was attacked while out on patrol and soon found myself along side several others in a cell. A few others and I managed to escape. We have to talk!"

"I'll send someone up to get you in here. There's been a bit of a problem in the cave." Batman replied.

"Since when do you have others in the cave other than me, Nightwing and Oracle?"

"It was a bit of an emergency," Batman stated, "Won't be happening on a regular basis." 

"Fine. But we really have to talk." Robin said.

"I know," Batman agreed, "See you soon." He cut off the communication line.

"You aren't seriously going to let him in here are you? We don't know if we can trust him! What if he's just another robot!" Huntress snapped.

Batman walked over to Deca and removed the jack line that had been put in the back of her head. Once it was removed, he put her into her wheelchair, making Flash nervous, "What are you doing now Bats?!"

Batman ignored him as he looked Deca in the eyes, "You want to know if we trust you or not. This is it. What happens now will tell me if you get to live or die."

"It's either stay online or be terminated but I get your threat," Deca replied, "What do you want me to do?"

"Meet Robin and let him inside. After that, you have to wing it." Batman said simply

"That's it? That's the plan?" Deca asked incredulously, "I am supposed to wing it?! How the frell do I do that?! I haven't done anything without a set of instructions in my entire existence! You are telling me that I just have to wing it?!"

Batman nodded and walked away from her, making Deca's face turn red, "Oh he makes me very, very angry!" she growled as turned around her wheelchair and started moving it to the ramp where she shouldn't have know to go. "And I am still getting very annoyed at all of these false memory files! Seriously I am!"

As they watched her get into the elevator and go up to the ground floor, Batman looked toward the others once she was gone. "Everyone get into hiding positions. I know they are going to be coming down for a trap."

"You automatically don't even trust her?" Wonder Woman said aghast.

"No," Batman shook his head, "I trust her enough to give the benefit of a chance to see whose side she is on and if she isn't on ours, I'll personally take her off line myself."

* * *

When Deca came out of the elevator, she saw someone that she knew was a young boy in a pair of green tights, a red tunic with a yellow 'R' over his heart in a black circle. He wore a black cape and had a green eye mask on. He had black hair and his eyes were blank. From her data files, Barbara saw that this was Tim Drake as Robin. To left she saw an elderly man in a butler's outfit, who she realized had to be Alfred Pennyworth. 

It was when she saw three GCPD officers with sunglasses over their faces that she knew something was wrong.

"How much do they suspect?" Robin asked.

__Machines.__ Deca realized as she decided to have to play along but was very much a novice in lying, though in this case the truth would be enough. "They know something is wrong. Superman used his x-ray vision to find out about the lead lining in their masks. They are going to try to find out more about what is wrong with their world."

Robin nodded and turned away as he put his hand to his right ear, "Sir, they realize something is wrong. They found about the lead lining. What are your orders?" after a short pause, Robin nodded. "I understand." He turned back to the others. "Pass them out," he said to Alfred, who gave out guns to each of them. 

"Will these work?" Alfred asked.

"The darts inside will paralyze them for an hour once shot. The electromagnetic casing will nullify the powers they have, working as an override. Not even Superman will be immune." Robin replied.

"But Batman and Huntress are wearing Kevlar outfits and the darts won't penetrate through them. How can we take care of them?" Alfred asked, "There are only three of us and both of them are skilled fighters."

Robin nodded but looked down at Deca and took the glove off of his right hand. A wire came out and it went right through her jeans and into the place where her spine was. She felt a shock of pain coursing through her for a moment before it was gone. 

"I have undone the switch blocker that was disabling your legs from being functional. They should work within five minutes," Robin explained as his wire went back into his palm and put his glove back on, "It's now locked the circuits into place. You'll have to come with us to reformatting to undo the work if you wish to remain serving Lord Gamesmaster in this capacity."

"Of course." Deca nodded. 

"Now let us do what we are programmed to do." Robin said as the six of them entered the elevator.

Deca on the other hand felt something internally with in her. She didn't know what to call it though. __I think maybe its an emotion Zhane had... what was it that Andros called it... mischievousness I believe...__ her lips curved into a small smile unseen by anyone. __I think I like it.__

After a minute or two, the elevator stopped and the six robots walked out. Deca and Robin were out front, while Alfred and the others were hiding about now trying to blend into the shadows.

"Batman, I have Robin here. Where did you go?" Deca asked.

"This isn't the time for games old man," Robin called out, "This is some serious trouble coming down."

"Yes." Batman said coming from behind them, "I know. And you are a part of it. I know what you are."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Robin said while Batman looked up and saw Green Lantern ready to try to encase Robin with his power ring, when suddenly he fell from his hiding place. 

"What the?" Batman muttered as he saw the dark sticking out from his arm. It wasn't much longer before he had to dodge from a shot sent at him from one of the cops in the shadows.

"There are other people in here!" Black Canary's voice rang out but then there was thud, only one could assume that she had been taken down. 

"Damn it! This is a set up!" Flash cursed as he went to attack Robin before he could do anything. Unfortunately, this was one time the Speedster wasn't fast enough, as Robin struck out with his own gun and point blank ranger nailing the Flash and sending him to the ground. Soon after that he had to dodge an x-ray vision blast from Superman in the air, "Get them now!" he ordered to everyone on his side.

Superman saw two of the cops come at him but he blasted their guns with his x-ray vision. However, he had not intended on it but ended up hitting one of them with his eyeblasts in his head, causing him to explode, "They are machines!" he exclaimed but shortly after that, he fell from the sky unconscious.

"Superman!" Huntress cried and saw who had attacked him from behind. 

"Such a mess we are making." Alfred sighed as he held out his smoking gun.

"Machine!!!" 

Once he heard the enraged cry of the Amazon Princess, Alfred spun around and fired off a few rounds at the charging Wonder Woman. However, she had her bracelets out in front of her and used them as a shield to deflect the paralyzing darts. Alfred was in denial, "This can't be!"

"You may have pierced Superman's skin but my bracelets are unbreakable and impenetrable!" Wonder Woman roared as she gave Alfred one hell of a haymaker punch which caused the robot to be sent flying into the other side of the cave into a wall where he was just pieces of metal and scrap.

Huntress meanwhile was taking on the remaining GCPD officers, "Let's see how well you fight without a toy." They said nothing as they worked on double teaming Huntress. One of them delivered a powerful punch to her chest that made her lose her breath while the other one sent her flying into the wall but not before she threw a set of _shurikens_ at them. As she pulled herself off the wall she groaned in pain, "Shit... these aren't your average run of the mill Dunkin Donuts eating patrol cops!"

"They aren't pulling any punches!" Batman snapped as he was in a fight with Robin now. It was taking every battle tactic that he had to keep himself one step a head of the robotic version of his protégé.

"We aren't done yet at all. We still have a trump card." Robin sneered.

"What would that be machine?" Wonder Woman cried as she prepared to descend upon Robin but was knocked away by flying tackle into a cave wall. When she looked up she saw who it was. "You?!"

"Me." Deca smirked, as she was now standing fully upright with her left foot pinning Wonder Woman against the wall and holding her gun right at Wonder Woman's chest. "And can I just say how glad I am to have my legs again instead of having to play the part of a cripple."

"Well Batman, how does it feel to know that you and your friends are going to be defeated now by those you care for most? But don't worry." Robin sneered, "You won't remember any of this. The last day, will be nothing more than a bad dream."

"Actually the nightmare is still going on drone," Deca replied as she turned around and face Robin.

"What?" Robin asked her only to see her fire two shots off at one of the cops that were attacking Huntress and they went through his optics, making him short circuit.

"But for you, you won't be a part of it any more." Deca said emotionlessly as she watched the cop fall to the ground, knowing he had been terminated.

The other officer went to avenge his partner, however in changing to attack Deca, he had forgotten about Huntress who had pulled out her daggers and stabbed one through the back of the head. When the cop turned around, she fired off a metal bolt from her crossbow right between the eyes. The cop fell to the ground just as dead as the rest of the machines.

"I say your ace in the hole was actually our ace in the hole," Batman smirked at Robin, who shoved Batman down and went to attack Deca. The only problem with that was that Deca ran toward the Boy Wonder herself. Taking to the air, she attacked him with a flying kick that connected with his chest, resulting in a loud clang heard throughout the cave. She landed on the ground gracefully while Robin groaned as he got up.

"What is your malfunction Babs!?" Robin shouted.

"Nothing... except I am not Babs!" Deca exclaimed as she let out a one-two kick combo at Robin before landing an uppercut, which sent him up against the wall. She ended the fight by landing a knife thrust that went through his neck and through the rock wall. The head of Robin fell to the ground but its optics were still online, still functioning. She looked down at with her eyes full of fury.

"I don't know who you people are but understand this," Deca said coldly and with full of determination, "You have taken seven people against the wills and they could in fact be people I have served with but even if they weren't, I am going to make sure that they are freed from what ever you have done to them. Tell Gamesmaster that if he wants to play a game, he better get a new rulebook because the rules have changed!" she slammed her foot down on Robin's head and ground it down until it was nothing but a flat sheet of metal.

* * *

In command central, Krugal and the technicians could only stare in shock what they had just saw. He looked over at his technicians with narrowed eyes, "Find out what was in the AI of that Replicate and I want to know within thirty minutes! NOW!" the technicians all scrambled to get what Krugal wanted, who was now sitting down on his chair, __Frell! Plan A didn't work at all and doing it recycled is doomed to failure._ _

Contemplating his next move, he decided to go with what Gamesmaster had said if Plan A didn't work. He pressed a button on his console and spoke, "Retraining Teams One through Four go to Dome World 000 into the Gotham Sector. You will enter the Batcave and take down our seven subjects using non-lethal weapons. I repeat non-lethal weapons. Lord Gamesmaster wants them alive. You attack in 60 minutes." 

Ending the connection, Krugal sighed as he wondered just how the frell this went so wrong when it should have been so simple.

* * *

Inside the cave, Huntress, Batman and Wonder Woman were looking at Deca. "Where did you learn to fight like that?" Huntress asked in awe.

"So many combat data files," Deca shrugged. "I have all tactical knowledge of Barbara Gordon's fighting style plus I was always keeping records of the simulation fights that Andros and the others were doing on the Simudeck." She rubbed her arms for a bit, "First time I have ever fought in real life."

"Andros?" Batman asked.

"A very peculiar name..." Wonder Woman mused.

"He was the leader of the Astro Rangers," Deca said, with a proud look on her face, "He was the greatest captain... and the greatest friend I have ever known."

"Either way I am glad to see that you are definitely on our side," Huntress smiled at Deca while Wonder Woman walked toward her and spoke, "You gave me quite a scare. I almost thought..."

"I know... but I had to make it believable. Something Karone liked to do a lot. She was a great play actor." Deca said.

"Karone?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Yes. Andros's sister..." Deca mused as she saw Wonder Woman putting her hand to her head. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know... that name... it's familiar I think..." Wonder Woman said softly but started to stagger a bit until she fell down.

"What's wrong with her?" Batman asked.

Huntress looked her over and saw on her boot there was a dart half imbedded in it. "She must have stepped on one of the ones she deflected. Since it didn't penetrate entirely she didn't collapse until now."

"Let's get her onto a table." Deca suggested as she took her over her shoulder and put her on to table. She noticed Batman was behind her. "What do you want?"

"Can we talk?" he said softly.

Deca turned around to face him, "Are you saying that you trust me?"

"More than I did before." Batman replied, "I want to talk to you alone."

Deca stared at him for a bit before looking at Huntress, who said she would look over Wonder Woman and the others. "Okay."

"Follow me." Batman said as he led Deca into another part of the Batcave.

In this part Deca saw many different and odd-looking things. Such as a giant penny, a big green dinosaur, and giant playing card, just to name a few. "What is this? A museum?"

"A rouges gallery of things collected from scenes of the crimes of many of my enemies," Batman explained, "But also holds things that are kept away from public sight, mainly because they are too hard to look at anymore."

"Such as?" Deca asked as she saw another Robin costume in a glass case.

"This belonged to Jason Todd, the boy that was Robin after Dick... the Joker killed him and his mother with a bomb in the desert." Batman said softly.

"I'm sorry," Deca replied, "But you have to realize that these emotions for you aren't real. They are fake memories, just like the faulty data I have in my CPU about Barbara Gordon."

"Yet you were able to use her fighting skills to help us," Batman stated, "And for that reason is what I am going to ask of you to help us, but not as Barbara Gordon or as how you are."

"Then as what?" Deca asked as she saw a light come on and saw something else in a case. The look on her face was total and utter shock and disbelief. "Oh you must be kidding me..."

"I never kid." Batman said flatly. One look at his face and Deca said, "I see that... and that scares me."

"I know." Batman smirked lightly.

* * *

_Diana looked and saw her self in a totally different place now. It wasn't the batcave. Rather it was a place that had metal walls and narrow corridors. She saw herself running and didn't know what was going on until she heard her mouth open up, "Alpha? DECA? Have you seen Karone?"_

_Her eyes turned to a strange looking machine, not looking like the robot Nightwing, Alfred and Robin who said, "No we haven't."_

_She turned her eyes to the bridge to see two figures standing there. One wearing a garment in red while the other was wearing a garment in blue. She heard herself ask again, "Have you seen Karone?"_

_"No we haven't," the man in blue asked while the one in red turned around and asked, "Is she fine?"_

_"Well I do have a name you know?" A female voice spoke from behind them as Diana saw herself turning around to face the girl, Karone, and saw blonde hair framing her face but then before her could see her face or anyone's faces there was a bright flash._

* * *

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Wonder Woman gasped for air as she sat up straight on the metal bench that she was on. Huntress ran to her immediately.

"Wonder Woman? Are you alright?" Huntress asked. "What happened?"

"I saw things..." Wonder Woman gasped. "Things... that felt so real..." 

"Looks like the princess got it a bit worse than some of us."

Wonder Woman looked up to see Flash back up and about, though a bit groggy. Looking around she saw Black Canary, Green Lantern and Superman were up as well, Superman himself was waking over to her, "How are you Diana? That paralyzing agent hurt most of us."

"Paralyzing agent?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Yeah, were out for about an hour. You were the last one to wake up," Black Canary replied.

"I see..." Wonder Woman shook her head as she got up on her feet though Green Lantern was trying to help her. "I'm fine."

"You aren't totally fine. None of us have totally shaken off the paralyzing agent's effects." Green Lantern said.

"It's a interesting blend from what the analyzers tell me," Huntress remarked, "I have never seen anything like it. Though my guess, it will take the four of you another hour to be back to normal."

"But what is really normal for us..." Wonder Woman shook her head.

"Diana?" Superman asked.

"'Diana'... just yesterday I was so certain that was my name. That I knew what my role and my place here in the world was." Wonder Woman sighed, as she felt so frustrated, "Now I don't even know who I am anymore."

"I think that paralyzing dart must have really screwed your mind up gorgeous," Flash quipped though it got him a nasty glare from the Amazon Princess.

"Laugh all you want and stay in denial Flash," Wonder Woman growled, "But Batman's right, we aren't who we think we are and what I had wasn't a dream."

"What was it then?" Black Canary asked.

"Memories... jumbles of images of who I am but nothing with a face... just a bunch of back ground sights..." Wonder Woman rubbed her head.

"Hey. Where's the robot girl?" Flash asked.

"Her name is Deca and she is our only ally in this matter." Batman said as he came out of from the shadows.

"Well I might not be after what you just made me wear," Deca's voice spoke out, "This is so frelling tight! Was she obsessed with showing her body to the world?"

___ _DECA... that was... could she be the name that I heard before in the memory?__ Wonder Woman asked herself.

"Come on out." Batman ordered.

"You can go to the Pit if you think I am going to run around wearing this instead of what I had on earlier." Deca's voice spoke again.

"It's either that or we leave you behind and you will be nothing but scrap since we can't leave loose ends and even if you refuse I will make you come out," Batman returned, "So get out here now."

There was nothing but silence for a bit as everyone was wondering what was going on when they suddenly heard footsteps. A figure stepped out from the shadows and all she did was draw gasps from them all... save for the Flash who was just dumbfounded.

Deca was now dressed in a grey colored bodysuit that seem molded to fit her body perfectly as if it was a part of her and there was a yellow bat symbol over her chest. She wore elbow length yellow gloves and shin length yellow healed boots. She had a yellow belt around her waist. Her cowl was like Batman's only in blue and long red hair came out from the back of the cowl. Lastly, she wore a long yellow cape, styled just like Batman's black cape. 

"You are telling me that Barbara Gordon was Batgirl?" Flash finally spoke.

"Until the Joker shot her which resulted in Barbara being confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life," Batman replied. Deca, or rather Batgirl at the moment was fiddling with her skintight costume, which caught Batman's notice. "What's wrong?"

"This costume is pushing up my... my... oh I still can't believe I actually have one of these!" Batgirl said in exasperation as she was trying to fix it to be more comfortable, "It just keeps pushing them up!"

"To keep the form of the wearer as sleek as can be," Batman returned.

Batgirl rolled her eyes at Batman from behind her mask, "Right. And I'm Dark Specter."

"Who?" Green Lantern asked.

"He was the leader of the Untied Alliance of Evil," Batgirl said as she was still adjusting but finally found a position that made it feel the most comfortable that she felt she was going to get with this get up, "I say was because he got blown to hell."

"What did he look like?" Black Canary asked.

"Oh just your average walking lava encrusted being that was almost a quarter of the diameter of the earth's moon in height," Batgirl answered.

They all stared at her for a bit before Huntress asked, "You are joking." 

"According to tall dark and almost a dead ringer for how Andros used to be in personality, we bats don't kid people." Batgirl said with a smirk as she looked at Batman, "But then again I'm not a real bat."

"Don't make me regret giving you an edge," Batman said.

"Don't rub this in my face with you making me wear this costume," Batgirl returned as she looked at herself in a full-length mirror, "Well at least now I know how Andros felt when wearing their skintight Ranger suits, especially the girls. I guess I am psuedo-Power Ranger now."

"Girls?" Flash asked eagerly, "You mean there were girls as these... these Power Rangers?" 

Batgirl flashed him a disgusted look, "What? Did you honestly think it was a boys-only club? Is this business you have been roped into was a boys only club?"

Flash just stared at her until Black Canary came from behind and said with a smirk, "Open mouth and insert foot."

"Oh shut up." Flash groaned.

"Seriously though Flash, you do have a problem with your mouth." Huntress commented.

"Now that introductions have been taken care of, you need to help me start taking things that we are going to need into the vehicles in the garage." Batman said.

"Why?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Those things know we are here and they will come again. Most likely in greater number." Batman explained.

"What do you have in mind?" Superman asked.

"I am going to blow up the Cave."

* * *

In Central Watchtower, Krugal saw the monitors that were showing images outside of Wayne Mansion. At the moment there was nothing but soon from the shadows several armed figures were beginning emerging and arriving near the grounds. They held their positions though.

"Time to attack?" Krugal asked the technicians.

"Thirty minutes and counting." One of them replied.

"What of the status of what was used in the creation of that Replicate?" Krugal questioned.

"Still unknown. We are continuing to look into it," Another stated.

Krugal growled as he clenched his fists, deciding that they needed to have an incentive to work faster. "If not one of you finds out why that Replicate has turned Renegade on us, five of you will be sent back into the slave camps instead of simply being executed where you sit. You have thirty minutes. I suggest you get a move on it."

To his amusement, he saw them working even faster now. One of the first lessons his master had taught him. The threat of pain and suffering can sometimes be more effective than the actual thing.

* * *

At the same time, the new Batgirl and Wonder Woman were helping with the heavy lifting along with Superman and Green Lantern. Their present piece of equipment, something neither Batgirl nor Wonder Woman knew what it was used for but knew that it weighed two tons at least.

"I can't believe how strong I am," Batgirl said in awe of her newfound strength. She knew she had even more capabilities and was only just beginning to discover them, but this was still incredible for her.

"Until I had my trials to become Wonder Woman, I was never as strong as I am now," Wonder Woman replied, "But I must say you are quite strong. Nearly as strong as I am."

"Well I am a cybernetic being of some sort now," Batgirl replied, "Not sure what yet but I'm sure to figure it out."

"I'm sure you will Deca," Wonder Woman stated. She felt glad to have the mechanical woman on their side. 

At present, Batgirl was the third strongest among them, her raw power being only below that of Wonder Woman and Superman, but she was also the most versatile of them all. With in fifteen minutes she had downloaded all of the computer files from the Bat Mainframe into her computer. 

__ I can't believe how much storage space I have in me now.__ Batgirl mused as she walked with Wonder Woman packing equipment they would need into Batjet III. She looked on at the other types of aircraft that Batman was insisting they all take and fill up. Shaking her head, she sighed, "It amazes me where people can come up with things like this."

"Are you sure all of this is necessary?" Wonder Woman asked.

"If my data from Babs's files is right then I know Batman likes to be prepared... and he is paranoid." Batgirl said as they lifted the heavy piece of equipment into the storage deck. They sat down on the cold metal floor. From there, Batgirl looked at her reflection, "It's ironic. As a ship I traveled through great distances, saw so many things and yet I could never be involved with the people I protected. Never fight along side by side with them unless it was a Zord battle." 

"Zord battle?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Giant machine robots about 50 stories tall. Named after Zordon of Eltare. Greatest Wizard that ever lived," Batgirl sighed.

"Lived?" Wonder Woman asked.

"To save the universe, my universe of origin in any case, Andros was told by Zordon to..." Batgirl hesitated a bit before speaking, "To kill him in order to save the universe from evil."

"Great Hera!" Wonder Woman gasped, "And did he..."

"He did because it was either that or the enslavement of the universe by evil," Batgirl nodded, "Some times, sacrifices need to be made. I knew that when the Galaxy Rangers decided to sacrifice me to stop Trakeena, I was alright with it." She looked at her hands, her body and after taking her cowl off, her face and put her hands over it. "And now... now I have a new life. A second chance. I have been resurrected for unknown reasons but I know this." She turned back to look at Wonder Woman and smiled, "I will help you and the others get out of this crazy hell. We'll stop Gamesmaster, whoever he is."

"Deca..." Wonder Woman started to say slowly, "I think... I think we have met before."

Deca blinked several times as she looked at the Amazon Princess, "What?"

"I had... I had a dream when I was unconscious," Wonder Woman explained, "Not a dream, I think it was memories of who I am. I saw a place, it was metal all around me as I walked through corridors. I went into this place and there were all sorts of weird machines. I saw a machine in red and gold and looked up and saw a red light and..."

"By the Power..." Deca gasped, as she felt totally shocked and revolted. Her face was pale and white. "By the Power, what did they do to you?"

"You know what I am talking about... you know what I am talking about don't you!" Wonder Woman exclaimed as she grabbed Deca by the shoulders, "Tell me who am I! Who is Alpha! Who are the two people in red and blue? What was this Karone there for and just who am I?! TELL ME!!!

Deca looked on at Wonder Woman, trying to know what to tell her. __What do I do... what should I tell her... I know enough now... but I don't know who she is exactly._ _Staring at Wonder Woman for a bit more, she came to a conclusion, __But she deserves to know the truth.__

"Please... tell me. Am I really Wonder Woman?" the Amazon Princess asked with tears in her eyes, "Or am I someone else?" 

Deca didn't say anything for a long time before she finally did speak, "... no. You aren't Wonder Woman."

Wonder Woman just stared at her looking for more but didn't see anything. She asked again, "Deca... who am I?"

"I don't know." 

"But you just said..." Wonder Woman started to say but Deca interrupted her, "I know enough from what you have told me to know that you are a Female Power Ranger that once lived on me when I was the Astro Megaship."

"A... Power Ranger...?" Wonder Woman stared at her, "I was a Power Ranger?"

"Yes you were."

"But then why can't you tell me who I am?" she asked her companion.

"Because I have had FIVE female Rangers serve on me," Deca explained, "But since you saw Karone or at least saw her figure then I know you can't be her... but that leaves you open to being anyone of the other four."

"Tell me about them." 

"No." Deca shook her head.

"Deca tell me!" 

"If I tell you about them all, and you assume you are one of them but turn out to be someone else, it going to cause severe psychological damage to your mind and I won't have that." Deca said flat out.

Wonder Woman just stared at Deca for a bit before sighing. "Can you... can you at least tell me their names?"

"I am sorry... but I can tell you which Ranger you could have been." Deca replied.

"How can you do that without telling me their names?" Wonder Woman asked.

"By giving you their Ranger names." Deca explained, "You could have been the Pink Astro Ranger, the Yellow Astro Ranger, the Pink Galaxy Ranger or the Yellow Galaxy Ranger."

"Pink... yellow... you went by colors?" 

"The most common colors among Ranger teams are Pink, Blue, Yellow and Red. Black and Green are interchangeable and the Sixth Ranger is always something different and new." Deca replied. "Feel anything different?"

"No... not as far as jumping to conclusions on which one I am..." Wonder Woman shook her head but a smile was on her face, "But I want to thank you for at least giving me the truth. Its something I'll need if I am going to keep my sanity."

"In this game, I think we all are going to need to keep our sanity." Deca replied, "So I keep calling you Diana or Wonder Woman right?"

"For now. What do I call you Deca?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Well without this," Deca said holding up her cowl, "Call me Deca but when I have this on..." She put the cowl back on and smirked cleverly, "I'm Batgirl!"

Wonder Woman let out a laugh when hearing her say it like that, "You have a great sense of humor!"

Batgirl laughed with her, "Actually I think that's an upgrade that I have been given. Andros always told me that I had no sense of humor."

"Hey ladies come on! Its almost time for us to go!" the Flash's voice rang out.

"What a bother," Batgirl mused.

"But dependable." Wonder Woman stated. She was going to put her hand out to shake hands but instead decided to embrace Batgirl with a bear hug. "Thank you."

"You... are welcome..." Batgirl croaked out as Wonder Woman lessened her grip.

"I would be honored, if you would consider yourself to be like my sister." Wonder Woman said to her, "You are the only one I know for sure is connected to my past. I feel, like we are family."

"At the very least, we are most certainly friends." Batgirl replied.

"Ladies!" Flash shouted.

"Oh I will shut that braggart up," Wonder Woman growled as she flew off to shut the Speedster up.

However Batgirl just stayed in thought, looking at Wonder Woman as she left. __Ashley. Cassie. Kendrix. Maya.  Just which one of you is behind that mask of latex and lead? What happened to you all when I was destroyed... or thought I was destroyed.__ She looked up to the sky, as if looking for an answer, __There is so much I don't know, so much I don't understand but for now I have to help them get out of this hell.__ She went to join the others but then stopped as her CPU realized something. __By the Creator, why didn't I think of it before?! If just one of those four were taken and made into Wonder Woman, what are the odds that other Rangers were taken and made into the other six!__

She felt weak to her knees as she realized she could be talking, walking, and fighting along side people that she knew very well and they didn't remember at all who they were. She also knew that she could be wrong but still the possibility of that made her sick to her stomach. To know that after all the hard work that they had done, after all the trials that they had undergone, this was what they received. This was their fate.

It absolutely sickened her.

She clenched her fists tightly as she looked upward, tears coming down her face but fury was etched all over it as well. __Gamesmaster... I don't know who the frell you are or what you are but I don't slagging care at all! I swear by the Matrix, I will make you pay for what you have done to these innocent people and to any other innocent people you have harmed! I SWEAR IT!!!__

* * *

Meanwhile, The Flash was about to go out to see if they were ready to go when suddenly a pain came over him. A pain in his head that was. "Oh man... what is this..." he groaned as he put a hand to his head.

* * *

_Reality began to flicker in and out of place as he saw something of a hazy dream and it was as if he was looking through someone else's eyes, in someone else's body as had no control what so ever. _

_He saw him drop the bottle that was in his hand to the ground and saw it was alcohol. The room itself was a mess. Cloths and objects flung all around. He had no idea what to make of it and then he heard a voice speak._

_"My life... it just sucks right now..." _

* * *

The haze vanished as the Flash felt himself coming back to reality, his eyes wide as he knew who was speaking and whose voice that was.

His.

"No... no way..." The flash muttered as he shook his head. "That's not me... that's not real..."

"Hey? You okay?" 

Flash spun around and slapped the hand he felt put on his shoulder. "Hey! What are you doing Canary?"

Black Canary looked at the Flash surprised as his actions, "Wondering what's wrong with you for starters."

"Well I'm fine so just leave me alone!" he snapped as he sped out of there, leaving Canary by herself.

"Just what was that all about?" she asked herself.

* * *

In Central Watchtower, Krugal waited impatiently for any type of response at all. Looking at the digital timer on one of the monitors, only seventeen minutes were left before the attack.

__If I don't get an answer soon from just one of them...__ Krugal growled as he thought of how he would go about his punishment to the techs.

"Sir Krugal!"

Krugal looked down at one of the techs at the far left who had spoken out. "Yes what is it?"

"I have what you are looking for on the Rogue Replicate. I'm sending it to server and personal monitor in the Perch." the tech stated.

"Good work." Krugal stated, though didn't say that the threat to them was over yet. He wanted them working just as hard until the attack. Perhaps even harder depending on how the attack went. 

Turning his chair to face his personal monitor, he looked at the information that was being sent to him. About what had caused the Replicate to go Renegade.

To say he was surprised by what he found out would be an understatement. 

"Continue the countdown. I must go inform Lord Gamesmaster." Krugal announced before he left Central.

Hoping that his master wouldn't be too displeased with this news.

* * *

Back in the game, Batman was finishing the last checks on items that they were taking from the Batcave. In that moment though, he allowed himself a bit of emotion, as he thought of how much he would miss this place. It was almost like destroying a part of himself. He had no idea how this would affect him at all.

In his minds eye he could see how this would turn out, how the cave would be blown up and how it would look once it was destroyed.

Like hell.

Strangely enough, he felt though that he had in fact gone through this once before. The destruction of a place that had been a base of operation, yet held many memories. He couldn't place it though.

__Maybe Deca is right about the memories that are programmed into us... we need to start getting past them. No matter how strong the impulse.__ Batman mused.

Green Lantern came into the room and walked over to him, "I don't know whether or not we should be glad to know I was right or not. About our world not being the same."

"Be glad." Batman stated, "Better to know the truth and be within reality than be in an illusion and someone's puppet."

"Like this Gamesmaster character that brought this down upon us all to begin with?" Green Lantern mentioned.

"Whoever he is, he defiantly has a lot of power. He had to have to pull something like this off." Batman reasoned, "It's going to take more than just all of us together in a direct assault to take care of him... but mark my words. He will be stopped."

* * *

At the Hall of the Master, Gamesmaster sat down on his throne, watching the feed from the Central Watchtower's monitors as he waited to see the strike teams take their prey. 

He was surprised to see Krugal enter through the front door instead of a direct teleport and once close enough to his throne, get on his knees and bow his head down. 

"This news had best not be too bad Krugal," Gamesmaster growled.

"We have... an unexpected variable in the game sir," Krugal said softly.

"What kind of unexpected variable?" Gamesmaster asked.

"You remember your orders to have the AI of the Astro Megaship be inserted as a sleeper AI into a Slave Replicate, once her use to you my Lord was completed."

"Yes. I thought it to be a particularly amusing bit of irony for her to be enslaved for all of eternity," Gamesmaster chuckled.

"She is no longer dormant... she is active and inside the Slave Replicate that was made as Barbara Gordon." Krugal stated.

Gamesmaster stared down his lieutenant before his eyes flashed black. Krugal found himself being lifted in the air and his body being pulled in all for directions. Gamesmaster's frown didn't leave his face. "Are you telling me, that Deca is active, with a body, and is that of the Batgirl?" he said in cold malevolence.

"I didn't assign the Replicates to this game my Lord," Krugal gasped, the pain his bones being very evident by how strained his voice was, "I had no idea until just ten minutes ago! Please!"

Gamesmaster did nothing but Krugal soon found himself falling down to the ground. Hard. As Krugal got up, Gamesmaster stared him down, "That was not a failure... if this attack does you will have your first failure Krugal. Pray your reputation remains unblemished." 

Krugal nodded as he stood up ready to leave but Gamesmaster called out to him, "Stay. We watch the attack together. For its success... or failure."

Krugal nodded once again, praying that the attack would not fail.

* * *

"Is everyone ready to go?" Batman asked once all of heroes were gathered.

Before anyone could respond a siren went through the cave. "What is that?" Huntress asked.

"Time's up. We have company." Batman announced. "Everyone to the jets now."

Everyone save for Green Lantern and Superman got into jet planes and they took off through the back entrance of the cave, which was facing outward toward the ocean. 

They would land several miles away but be able to see the Mansion... at its end.

* * *

At Wayne Mansion, everything was quiet for another five seconds.

After that, the windows were broken through by men clad in black outfits, wearing weapons belts and holding rifles of some sort in their hands. They wore night vision goggles and were scouting around looking for anyone.

Within a few minutes about twenty men had invaded the house.

"Squad One, secure the main level. Squad Two, do the upstairs. The rest follow me down into the Cave." the captain of all four squads called out as he went over to the clock that hid the entrance to the cave. He put a key into the wall right next to it and the door way opened.

The men just ran down the stairs with their weapons out ready to attack at a moment's notice. When they got there though, they found it to be empty.

"There's no one here sir," one of the men said to the captain when he came down.

"Keep searching! They have to be here!" The captain barked out as he looked around for himself. When he looked at the Batcomputer, saw a countdown on it. "What the frell?"

_10...9...8...7...6..._

"YOTZ!!! RUN!!!" The captain shouted. "RUN BEFORE IT'S TOO..."

**_*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*_**

* * *

From the hall of the Masters, Krugal gasped in horror behind his mask as he saw Wayne Mansion go up in a ball of fire.

"That is your first failure, Krugal." Gamesmaster said gravely to his lieutenant, who was now very much afraid of his master. He said nothing for a while before finally speaking, "Fail me once too often and you will find there are things worse than being made into a slave once again."

"Y...yes my Lord." Krugal stuttered.

"Now recapture the seven Rangers before they become any more of a problem." Gamesmaster decreed.

"Yes my Lord... and the Renegade?" Krugal asked.

Gamesmaster didn't face Krugal as he gave his answer, "Terminate her... with extreme prejudice."**__**

* * *

The superheroes watched from a safe distance as they saw that where Wayne Manor had been, there was now nothing more than smoldering ash. Batman looked distant as looked at the place that had been home to so many memories. It was Batgirl who came over to him and said, "It might be painful for you, but you told me yourself, it's not really yours."

"I still can't believe you are going on about this crap about us no being who we are," Flash muttered. 

"And I still can't believe that you are still as dumb as an ogre with twice its arrogance," Wonder Woman snapped 

"Hey!" Flash shouted but Batman's voice broke him out of anything he would have said, "That's enough. They are right though. This isn't mine at all. It's just the memories of a created character."

"So what do we do now?" Huntress asked.

"Why don't we ask our leader... hey?" Flash spun around looking for the other main man in charge. "Where is big red and blue anyway?"

Everyone turned around looking for him but it was then that Batman put a hand to his face. "He didn't... for once let me be wrong and tell me he didn't go back there."

"Go where?" Black Canary asked.

"Metropolis." Batman said as he moved toward his Batplane, "Batgirl you are with me. John, take the others to the fall back point we discussed earlier. We'll meet you there."

"Understood," Green Lantern said.

"Watch yourself my sister," Wonder Woman called out to Batgirl as she got into the Batjet right behind Batman.

"Same goes to you Diana," Batgirl replied as strapped herself in and the jet took off with the two bats inside. Looking at Batman, Batgirl asked, "Why did he go back without telling us?"

"Because he's about to make a very bone headed move," Batman said, "He's still in love with his wife, even though now more than ever we know there are robots among us."

"So his wife is probably a robot herself. Why is he going back then?" Batgirl asked.

"Because he's believes he loves her and maybe just because you are on our side, it makes him think he could bring her over to us," Batman stated.

Batgirl's eyes widened behind her mask, "Is he nuts?! The only reason why I am working with you is because my AI is probably the only AI within a robot that wasn't created by Gamesmaster! Meaning every other robot we'd meet..."

"Will be our enemy." Batman agreed, "But love can be blinding, especially if it was forced on you."

Batgirl just sat in silent though but very much worried, __What if Superman is like Wonder Woman. Someone that I know but doesn't remember a thing about anything about his past? What if it's Andros under that mask? Would I ever forgive myself if anything happened him when I could have stopped it?__

She found herself wishing that the plan could travel faster, if only to get them there quicker.

* * *

In Metropolis, Lois Lane Kent was awaiting for husband to come home, wondering just what is keeping him so long.

When he just flew in like a hurricane, she knows something is wrong. "Clark? What's going on?"

"It isn't safe here Lois." Superman said.

"Isn't safe? What are you talking about?" Lois asked him.

"There are robots masquerading as people and they have just tried twice already to attack myself and the other superheroes that I was with during that invasion." Superman explained.

"Are you okay?" Lois asked.

"Yes I am fine. But Lois it isn't safe here. We have to go." Superman said.

"Okay. Okay Clark I understand," Lois said softly and assuredly, "Just let me get something." 

"Okay. Just hurry." Superman said as he saw her walk away. He turned his back to look at the window and went to close it. However when he did, he saw Lois right behind him in the reflection.

And she just started to choke him from behind.

"Lois this isn't the time for..." Superman started to say but suddenly felt the air going out of his body. It was at that moment that he realized that something was seriously wrong, as his normal human wife would never have the strength to do this to him.

"You are not behaving hubby," Lois said with a condescending tone, "That is so unlike the World's Biggest Boy Scout. Aren't you supposed to listen to women and do what they say?"

"Get... off me..." Superman gasped as he was forced down to one knee.

"No. I don't think so. I think you need to remember who wears the pants in this relationship." Lois sneered.

"I said get off!" Superman exclaimed as he managed to shove his wife away from him and into the adjacent wall, making it break apart partially from the impact, but to Superman's surprise, Lois didn't show any signs of pain at all.

"Hmm... well that was amusing," Lois chuckled as she shook the plaster chips from the wall out of her hair.

"Lois... why?" Superman asked in shock.

"Why? Oh let's see her, because I like my husband to be just how I want him... wrapped around my finger," Lois said with a cruel smile as she pulled her hair out of her face. 

"So you are..." Superman started to say but Lois's smile brightened, "Yes. I am a Replicate."

"Replicate?" Superman asked.

"Why not? It's not as if you are going to remember this conversation when I'm through with you," Lois shrugged, "Replicates are advanced cybernetic machines, created by a human being whose name has now been taken form us. However we know we were made to be perfect and now Gamesmaster has restored us and given us a purpose."

"To ruin lives?!" Superman demanded.

"No! To give people lives!" Lois said with a smile, " People who have been on the brink of despair, he has brought into his dome worlds and given them new lives. You should feel honored Clark. It is not often that he chooses so many at once to not only been given new lives but such incredible powers as well."

"Forget this!" Superman roared, "A lie is a lie no matter how much you try to sugar coat it and if you are too blind or programmed to see that then I guess we are through here."

"You don't get it do you. We are finished only when I say we are finished," Lois told him.

"And just how do you plan to stop me Lois?" Superman asked but seeing her laughter made him stare at her.

"Oh not Lois, Clark," she smirked as she suddenly started to spin around just like he did when going to change from his civilian clothes to his superman out fit. All he saw was a bright lavender and aqua colored blur, which was so fast he couldn't even see anything.

However he did see the blur come right at him and felt a punch hit him square in the jaw. One that sent him flying into the other side of the apartment, through the living room wall, and he ended up landing onto the master bed. As he started to get up he saw who had hit him.

It was a woman who was hovering two feet above the ground. She was wearing a lavender skintight bodysuit with aqua colored legging. She had a simple purple belt around her waist and wore a pair of lavender high-healed boots. On her chest, there was a purple diamond that was outlined with in lavender, the same lavender color used to show a stylized lavender 'U' inside that very diamond, which was right over her busty chest. She also wore a long aqua colored cape, which had the same purple diamond on it. She had the physical attributes of the Greek Goddess of Love, which with her very tight outfit stood out very plainly. Her face showcased beautiful ruby red lips, dark black hair framed her elegance, and her eyes were like two blue orbs that shined through a lavender colored domino eye mask. 

"Lois?" He gasped out at the woman who was on immediately on top of him.

"Nope," she said seductively when her face was right in front of Superman's, "Lois Lane Kent has checked out at the moment… YAH!!!" She cried as she threw Superman through the bedroom wall and into the kitchen. As he got up he saw the woman smile smugly at him, "I'm Ultrawoman, your best fantasy and worst nightmare all rolled up into one powerful package." 

Ultrawoman smiled a vicious and hungry grin at Superman while rubbing her hands together, "You've been a very bad boy honey... but don't worry. I'll make you just the way you were. _My_ good little boy."

**To Be Continued...**

_Author's Notes: Well here's the second chapter to this story. Hope you all enjoyed it as well as the twists that were involved. I'd love to hear what you thought of them. I also hope this story gave you some new ideas on who is behind the masks for the seven superheroes of our story. I am not sure when the third chapter will be completed but I hope that you will all be patient and it will come when I get the time to write it up. Until next time._


End file.
